


Match

by emissaryarchitect



Category: Ava's Demon
Genre: AU, Multi, matchmaking to the EXTREME, not gonna stop me hhff, self indulgent and old as balls, there's LOTS of characters in secondary roles as well, utopia AU kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2018-09-28 06:32:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 48,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10077584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emissaryarchitect/pseuds/emissaryarchitect
Summary: In TITAN's new utopia, between spankin' new laws and picking up hypothetical teeth off the floor after the recent wars, a matchmaking system only entitled MATCH is set in stone; its a program intended to pair people up for life, for their satisfaction, for their happiness -- or so its advertised.On the day of Ava's application to the system, she is the unfortunate receiver of a grave glitch in the program - being assigned two potential life partners. As she struggles between her haunting past and two suitors out to use her as the tool of their revenge or clashing philosophies, she must discover what caused her to be the flaw in the system - if she can survive being between two radically different, but equally aggressive suitors.note: this is an OLD ASS fic that I've been editing in the hopes of updating soon. Putting it on Ao3 is just easier for organizing.





	1. misstep

**Author's Note:**

> OH BOY OH BOY Y'ALL REMEMBER THIS TRAINWRECK OF AN AU  
> because I do and momma never forgets an AU, so, I guess we're BACK IN IT
> 
> I've edited a few things, but not many? either way feel free to comb over it, I'm trying to get back into the swing or writing again

A synthetic voice spoke through the speakers lining the halls, barely audible through the chatter of the crowds.

 _“The MATCH program was created by TiTAN himself to ensure a safer and happier future for his citizens - without fear of producing any children with birth defects or health problems, you will also be with the one meant for you!_ ”

Ava glared at one of the speakers, scarlet eyes shining brightly between thick lashes. Her lips were in a thin line, and the redhead was cajoled forward by her friend.

“ _Find TiTAN’s one true match for you, today!_ ”

“Ava!” The girl blinked and turned to her friend, who had been talking the entire time. She pulled her thick green curls from her eyes. “Were you even listening?”

“Ah…” Ava faltered, biting her lip and shuffling forward in the line a little. “…no. I’m sorry.”

“Augh, no wonder your grades go crazy. You only listen with half an ear!” Her friend rapped her dark knuckles on Ava’s head, and Ava protested.

“Ow, Maggie! I didn’t mean to! The speakers were playing something…”

Maggie rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, folding her arms. “The speakers are on loop, Ava. Come on, you should be more excited!” Maggie’s mood brightened as she gestured around them with one arm, to the tall ivory walls and intricate blue patterns far above them. “We’re in Parliament!”

Ava nodded, smiling a little as she took in the scenery. Although the place was packed – being a place for bureaucrats, it would also be in a busy status – that didn’t deprive it of the beauty. Delicate words were lined along the ceiling in Latin, and Ava mouthed them to herself, though she couldn’t translate them.

“I can’t believe we’re here, though! This place is only for like, District A and B citizens!” Maggie flashed a white smile to Ava as they continued down the line.

“My mom used to be a case-worker, and because of how she died Parliament allowed me to bring a friend,” Ava explained softly, and Maggie put a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“Hey though,” Maggie tugged on her spaghetti straps with a wink “I bet we’ll meet some really hot guys here!”

Ava pulled her red jacket close around her shoulders, urgency climbing in her voice as she replied in a quick whisper “Maggie, put your shrug back on! You know the dress-code rules!” She peered around and felt her heart drop when she spotted a few white-clad guards sitting in one of the doorways, eyes scanning around the area as they watched the posts. “See, there’s guards right there!”

“Yikes,” Maggie rolled her eyes, handing her file to Ava as she pulled her small jacket over her bare shoulders “the people here are so much stricter than in District C!”

Ava had to agree. Being closer to the core of the city, Districts A and B were far more watched than C and D. It was rare for someone for district C to get into Parliament, even to directly input MATCH information, and it was impossible for someone from District D.

Ava glared at the files in her hands.

Maggie snatched hers back. “Hey, you can give _your_ file the hairy eye all you want, but _I_ am going to find my Match.” She straightened out the papers as the line continued to shift. They were almost in the MATCH program control center. “Why are you so against MATCH anyway?”

Ava shrugged and looked at the file. It held information about her, from genetics, temperament, religion, hobbies, grades, childhood, medical documents – it was honestly unnerving, bordering on frightening how much the government knew about her.

“I guess I don’t like having myself duplicated on paper,” she said with a sigh. “Being paired with someone for the rest of your life by statistics feels so informal.”

Maggie gave that a thought. “I guess so… but it’s illegal not to register for the MATCH system, you know that. Your parents, my parents, _everyone’s_ parents went through the MATCH system.”

Ava cast her gaze aside, looking out one of the wide windows framed with blue. Through it, she could see a whole landscape of glittering skyscrapers. As they passed it, she ran the pads of her fingers along the glass, cool to the touch. “Not _Matchless_ kids, though.”

Maggie looked panicked for a split second before saying a little too loudly “Oh yeah, I can’t wait to input my MATCH info!” Ava gave her a curious expression at the change of subject and her forced attitude, and she gestured stiffly with green eyes. Slowly, Ava turned and felt her gut drop.

Only about fifteen feet away was Strategos Six, the General just under TiTAN. They wore a slimming white suit and a face-mask as they worked in public, and they glanced in the girl’s direction for a fraction of a second. Ava froze like a rabbit upon seeing neon blue eyes and hair like frothing sea-waves, powerful, guarded, but their gaze passed over to talk to another guard.

“Holy _shit_ ,” Maggie whispered “ _The_ Strategos? Here?”

Ava’s heart was beating hard in her chest, enough to make her ears ring. Her blood felt hot at her fingertips, and she was tingling fear. “We _are_ in Parliament, Maggie.”

Maggie nodded, linking arms with Ava and finally getting to step through the door.

They were surrounded by people, working at massive screens. The screens displayed the information they input about themselves, and Ava felt more than a little intimidated.

A guard directed both Maggie and Ava to separate screens, and Ava waved as Maggie started to input her information a few screens over.

Ava sighed and opened up her file, fingers slowly tapping the screen as she began to copy herself into a computer. The thought of an AI matching her for life with a _complete stranger_ rattled her to the core, but she was seventeen now. She had already procrastinated a year putting in her information, and if she didn’t want to be labeled a criminal to the Empire she would have to do this.

She hesitated at a few personal facts.

 _There’s no reason to put that in there,_ she thought as she stopped inputting information to scour over the paper, eyes narrowed. _Why would my match need to know something like that?_

“Excuse me,” a sharp voice quipped behind her. She inclined her head a little to see a handsome young man tapping his foot impatiently. Maggie was right – everyone was prettier in the higher districts. “I don’t have all day. Would you hurry it up?”

Her fingers pinched the papers in her hands, crumpling the edges a little. The fear thrumming in her ears carefully redirected its course to irritation; she was already anxious enough as is, but being pushed by an exasperating stranger was not wise for her nerves. “You must be from district B,” she commented.

“District _A_ ,” He corrected curtly.

“Then act like it,” she snapped. “I’ve more patient people from D than in this place.” With that insult, she decided to stop hesitating over the little facts and just get this done as soon as possible – the sooner she was home, the better.

Her fingers ached by the time she was done, and she knew the computer would begin to find a match for her in moments, dissect who she was as a person to match statistics with statistics. It usually took a few months for a Match to occur, and Ava began straightening her things out. The next step would be to find Maggie, and then to get on the next bus back to C-district. At least there she could breathe.

The screen in front of her chimed brightly, flashing something in red. She blinked as it announced “ **ANOMALY – ANOMALY** ” in a synthetic voice as various words she couldn’t catch and numbers she couldn’t understand flashed on the screen.

“Wha… What?” She squeaked, standing up and backing away from the computer. Everyone else turned and watched in curiosity and dismay at the loudness of the alarm. Panic began to claw at her throat and beat her ribcage from within, and she began searching the crowd desperately for Maggie, for any familiar face to help her.

“ **ANOMALY – MATCH** ,” the computer began rolling through information.

Ava stared.

_What?_

It was uncanny to get a match after a few weeks. A few days was unheard of.

Right after putting the information in?

_Impossible._

“ **MATCH – [ _GENERAL_ ] STRATEGOS SIX.**” The crowd around her gasped aloud, and the world blurred into noises and eyes; Ava felt like she was floating in the most unpleasant way, like she was three inches above her head and looking down at herself, at her blank expression. _I was just matched with_ Strategos Six?

“ **ANOMALY** ,” it chimed again. “ **MATCH [ _CITIZEN_ ] ODIN ARROW**.”

Two matches.

 _Two_.

Ava spun around in another desperate attempt to find Maggie, and saw the General themselves staring at the screen with eyebrows raised and eyes wide. It was a strange expression to see on someone who she had only ever seen as perfect still pictures on magazines or articles, and in her floating, weightless state, she could only work her mouth in silence and shock. They turned to her, spotting her face.

Ava snapped. It was like she was thrown back into her body and the weight of the world was overwhelming, the true loudness of the people around her and the real confusion of the situation eagerly sinking its canines into her most tender parts.

She pushed the person behind her aside with the flats of her hands and ran through the crowd, ducking and weaving and avoiding all the guards who tried to scoop her up. They were all obstacles, and her goal was the door, but as she ran into the waiting room, only panic powering her, she could see the double doors closing for lockdown.

She managed to plow the people in front of her aside and slip out the doors, closing behind her. Her heart was thumping against her chest to the point of pain, like there was someone inside her slamming furious fists against her insides, and she ran down the wide white stairs, looking for a place to hide.

It was a mistake. The computer made a _mistake_ , she hadn’t done anything different from anyone else – it was a mistake!

She only hoped that the Parliament would realize that themselves before she was labeled a criminal or something – but that thought was a wisp, and it vanished quickly as she fled for a place to hide.

>>>>> 

Strategos stared at the screen as all civilians were ushered out.

Ava Ire had been matched to them and one other. This must have been a glitch on the computer’s part, but the system hadn’t been faulty for a whole _generation_.

They picked up the file she left nearby and flicked through it idly.

Six had been in the system since it was first created, and wasn’t matched with anyone. Yet, on the day that should be a celebration for TiTAN finally blessing them with a companion, _this_ had to happen.

A guard approached them. “Strategos? All civilians have been relocated.”

They tapped the file to their medical mask slowly, deep in thought.

If it was a glitch, then Ava must have been paired to one of the two the system had originally intended. It was mostly likely the Arrow boy – they were closer district wise, but checking her file again she had a very calculative mind and a strong temperament, or in the very least, a powerful determination. Perfect to be a General’s companion.

This could be their only chance to have a Match.

“Send a carrier for the boy,” Six commanded, tapping the name on the screen. “I’ll find Ire.”

A little selfish, but necessary. Six always got what they wanted.

>>>>>>> 

Ava sat behind a bench, hyperventilating, muttering to herself. She had her legs pressed to her chest and her chin on the backs of her knees, and rolling a little.

“It must have been a mistake, it must have been! I don’t – a girl from district C doesn’t get paired with someone from A, especially the General! _Especially_ the General! Ooooh,” she pulled her hands to her face and rubbed them over her eyes, where tears began to pool in a steady warmth. Her eyes stung, the salt was burning the edges of her eyes. The bench behind her creaked as she muttered aloud “Okay, okay, I’m – I’ll just go back and apologize and explain that I didn’t do anything. I’ll just – oh, why did I have to panic? Now TiTAN will for sure think I did something!”

Ava pulled her hair over one shoulder and picked at the tips of a few strands, trying to calm down. Her chest hadn’t stopped hurting. “It was a mistake, I _know_ it was…”

“It probably was.”

“Yeah,” she sat up and gestured to the air in front of her “I didn’t do anything at all! I mean, how could someone from district C evenn _nnn_ -” she drew the word out as she turned around, realization dawning on her features as she comprehended _someone_ was sitting on the bench she was hiding behind.

Strategos Six watched her with an amused expression, eyes half lidded and eyebrows up. They were leaned backwards to look at her from where she sat, and they drummed gloved fingers along the edge of the bench.

“Care to talk with me?” they asked with a velvety tone. Ava felt her blood turn to ice.

“N-Not really,” she squeaked, automatically backing up along the concrete, scrabbling backwards like an animal.

“You seem a bit nervous, but I didn’t come here to threaten you at all, Miss Ire.” Ava froze in place, her palms down on the concrete as they stood. “I am, in fact, _certain_ that there was some sort of problem in the system.” They walked around the bench and offered a hand.

She hesitated before taking it, and with surprising strength Six pulled her to her feet. “You’re not in any trouble,” they explained softly “I was just hoping to take you aside for a bit until we fix everything and the problem blows over.”

She blinked rapidly, on edge around the General – but they were almost charming the way they spoke to her. “I… really? You believe me?”

They took her hand and placed it on their elbow. Ava felt her face flush as they both began to walk back towards the Parliament building, Six escorting her in the most formal matter.

“I mean no offense, Ire, but I sincerely doubt anyone from District C is capable of altering the system in any way.”

Ava forced laughed a little, but not from relief _. You don’t know my mother_ , she thought, but Six was right. There was no way she would be able to alter the system with the education she had.

“I, uhm… I’m sorry for all this trouble,” she apologized as Six walked with her. They inclined their head a little, and she could see their eyes wrinkling from what must have been a smile under their mask.

“Not at all, Ire. If we don’t deal with such systematic errors now, they’ll only be more problematic later.”

Unlike any other guard she met, Strategos was being nice to her, being polite. It was enough to make the knot in her stomach unwind, although she couldn’t help but feel timid.

“Although… I do believe you had a friend with, green hair?” Ava went tense and slapped a hand against her face.

“Oh, Maggie! She must be worried sick!” Or, maybe pissed as hell. It was hard to tell with that ballbuster of a girl.

Six laughed a little at her dread drenched expression, reassuring “It’s alright, you can call her once we get back to Parliament.”

She narrowed her eyes, and in a tone a little more accusing than she intended Ava asked “Why are you being so nice to me?”

They blinked in surprise. “Well, the assumption for the moment is that the true glitch in the system was that _two_ Matches were selected for you.” Ava nodded, pulling her scarlet hair from her face. Her hands were filthy form where she grappled the concrete earlier, so she put her hand back on her side and felt the urge to pull her other hand off their arm. “Thinking along these guidelines, I am still – _potentially_ – your match.”

Ava felt her face heat up from the realization.

Strategos Six was still capable of being her match.

Then who was Odin Arrow?

>>>>>>>> 

“Odiiiiin,” Raven complained, hanging off of his neck with interlocked fingers “why aren’t we going out to breakfast?”

“B-Because,” he shook her off, cigarette between his teeth as her heels met the sidewalk with a harsh _click_ “the l-last time we went out y-you stole half the supplies.”

“Yeah,” Crow added, and Raven barked back “Hey, you stole stuff too!”

The twins began arguing and Odin sighed, looking up. Living in district D could have been worse – for one, the guards scarcely came around to the area.

Damn TiTAN.

He exhaled and ran a hand through his stark black hair, smoke churning through the air. Cigarettes and nicotine in general were actually _illegal_ – but then again, so was he, and so were his sisters.

His phone went off and he prepared himself for Olai to be yelling at him for one thing or another – so there was only incredible shock when it was a message from Parliament.

Raven draped herself over his shoulders again to read his phone, hair mirroring his own ticking his face. “Whazzat?”

“A m-message from the P-Parliament.”

Crow looked over his elbow. “Really? Is it more spam mail, like statistics or something?”

His eyes scoured over the screen, and he mumbled aloud as he read. “Odin A-Arrow… blah bl-blah blah… w-we have c-correlated your file and st-statistics… blah blah…” He skimmed it while the twins listened with a careful ear. “…and y-your match is – wait my _MATCH_?!” Odin suddenly jerked and his siblings were flung off of him as he reread the message.

“No way,” Raven laughed aloud in surprise “you got a Match? I don’t believe it!”

“N-Neither do I,” he murmured as he skimmed back over the Email. He turned his phone onto sleep as he shoved it back into his pocket and took a deep lungful of smoke. Crow smacked the cigarette out of his mouth. He scowled, but she stood in his path.

“So! Who’s your Match?”

“I d-don’t care,” he replied with a hiss, stepping on the discarded cigarette on the slate grey sidewalk. “T-TiTAN’s Match sys-system is total shit.”

“Yeah,” Raven stopped him by latching an arm around his “ _buuuut_ maybe your Match is someone cool?”

He snorted, rolling his eyes. “I r-really doubt it.”

A sleek black car rolled up beside them, one side sporting the neon blue T that was TITAN’s signature. The reflective window rolled down to show an Elite guard.

“Are you Odin Arrow?”

He took a step back, poised to run. “Wh-Who’s asking?”

The elite opened the door from the inside, showing the seats in front of them. “We’d like to speak to you. It’s about your match.”

Crow and Raven were creeping up behind Odin, watching the car with an innocent curiosity. They hadn’t yet been to Parliament, and Odin was planning on keeping it that way – the less they knew of TiTAN, the better.

“Is Odin’s match someone important?” Raven asked, blinking at the blue-tinted guard.

The guard nodded. “Incredibly.”

Odin sneered, backing away from the vehicle with caution and vinegar on his lips as he replied “I’m s-sure TiTAN can ha-handle anything.”

There was the dull click of a firearm, and Odin knew they had live ammo. They _always_ had live ammo.

“It would be better for your well-being if you got into the vehicle, Arrow,” the Elite warned. He grit his teeth. He didn’t even know his match, didn’t look at her picture in the email or checked her personality – why couldn’t he just move on as is?

The guard misread his hesitance. “Your… sisters, can come along as well.”

He blinked at the tone of voice the guard let slip. If he didn’t know better, that was almost worry. However, the thought was lost as both Crow and Raven practically tossed themselves into the black car, marveling at the soft seats.

He swore aloud. “C-Crow, Raven! G-Get back h-here!”

“No way!” Raven called back “look at this!” She whistled in appreciation of the upholstery, running fingers over the soft velvet. Raven simply gave him an expecting look, and he groaned, leaning down and slipping into the car.

The firearm was unloaded, and the Elite muttered in what must have been appreciation “Thank you.” Odin gave them a look, but the car started and they were moving.

“So what’s all this about?” Crow asked, less marveled by the money than her twin. The Guard shifted uncomfortably.

“That is for the Strategos to tell you,” they responded, looking the other direction. Odin thought that this guard must have been fairly new, considering they were emoting like a person, but taking a glance behind him at the driver – they, too, seemed a little distracted.

Raven took note of what the Elite said, blinking curiously. “Wait… _The_ Strategos? Like, the head hancho of TiTAN corp?”

The Elite nodded, and Odin pulled out his phone to take another look at his match. Scrolling back through the email, each of his sisters flanking him, he opened up her picture.

He was greeted by a gentle round face and scarlet hair, wide eyes soft. He didn’t really expect _this_.

“Whoa,” Raven muttered “she looks nice.”

“Yeah,” Crow remarked “nothing like the girls in district D. Which district is she from?”

He scrolled a bit more. “D-District C.”

Raven squinted, bobbing a little in her seat. “Well, she’s not that important at _all_.” She turned back to the guard. “What’s this really about?”

“The Strategos will tell you,” they replied more evenly.

She split a finger through the air, siting forward to jab them in the chest. “Tryna’ weasel out of it, aaay?”

The Elite gave her a look, and Odin could see a brow quirking under the visor. “S-Sit back,” Odin ordered with a roll of his eyes, and surprisingly, Raven did so. Crow took the phone from Odin’s hands and began reading through it aloud.

“Odin, it says her interests are… gardening, cooking, sewing, and working at her local animal shelter.” He tried not to listen, being adamantly against the Match system, but he found himself turning and blinking a little in surprise. She sounded… good, like a good person, almost textbook kindness. “Her name’s Ava Ire, and she’s got flying colors in service to the community.”

“She actually sounds really great,” Raven noted, listening attentively.

“She is,” the Guard said quietly. They all turned to them in surprise, but they were looking out the window. At first, they all thought the Guard was avoiding eye contact, but taking a look outside, they saw clean sidewalks and buildings crafted from metal and glass.

District A.

Odin felt his stomach clench. He hadn’t been here since…

“Wow, that’s a lot of glass!” Raven remarked. “Over in D everything’s broken and shattered!” Crow nodded in agreement.

Odin tried not to show his discomfort as they continued to ride on, past shining gates – he could not see the shine, only the bars – and they entered the road to Parliament.

Even the roads were smoother.

The buildings that surrounded them shined and were lined with pale brick, the metal polished and the glass without blemish. The twins watched in wonder, and Odin sighed breathily. This place was creepy. The air here was sterilized, and Odin drummed his fingers along his chin as the rode. He watched the scenery go past them, until they entered a glamourized car port of sorts, parking near an entrance.

He was quick to get out, surveying the area and stretching his legs. There was a guard on every corner, and the elite from the car prodded him forward with a hand.

“Through the doorway,” they instructed. The Arrows crept tentatively down the halls, carpeted with white patterned tile, the walls covered in tapestries and rules and locations, the ceiling far above them, the tiniest details blurred out from the distance.

“Wow,” Raven said again, holding hands with Crow. They rarely did that unless they were afraid they were going to lose the other, and in such a vast place, they held on tight.

Odin stopped in place as they came to a set of double doors. “I’m n-not moving an-another step until someone t-tells me what’s going on,” he threatened darkly, hands clenching into aching fists at either side as his heels dug into the carpet. The Elite sighed, looking around for anyone listening.

“You are Odin Arrow, right?”

He snorted. “Y-Yes, I am, g-get on with it.”

“Your match is Ava Ire.”

“I kn- _know_ -”

“That’s the problem.” They urged him forward a little while they walked. “The Match system did something – something different.”

“L-Like what?” He pried, slowly stepping towards the doors, rimmed with blue and white.

“Ava Ire was matched to two people. You and one other.”

The girls blinked owlishly in shock, mouths wide. “What! No way,” Raven said aloud “Who’s the other?”

The Guard took a step forward and pulled the wide doors open, and there was a low groaning noise from the weight of it.

Through the open doors was a room flooded with sunlight – one wall was exposed to the outside with wide windows, blue curtains pulled aside. There was a single table, white as ivory, where two figures were. One sat with scarlet hair pooling over the chair, and she turned, blinking with slight surprise. The other turned and regarded him with a cool expression, neon blue eyes almost painful to look at.

The first was Ava Ire.

So her second match must have been…

“Strategos Six,” the guard greeted with a grand bow “I bring you Odin Arrow and company.” Six looked down at the two girls, one on either side of Odin, before tugging on their medical mask a little.

“Leave us,” they commanded with a synthetically smooth voice. The Guard nodded, standing up straight and leaving without another word, closing the door behind them.

Ava blinked and waved a little, her lower lip worried between her teeth nervously. Raven waved back, but Odin only said “Wh-What’s going on h-here?”

“Come,” Six pulled the other chair back, and Odin cautiously sat in it, with his sisters close. “I am certain the guard could not help but tell you a little of our current predicament.”

“Yeah,” Raven piped up “isn’t the Match system supposed to choose just one person to another?”

“Correct.” They sat down and gestured slightly with one hand. A maid seemed to solidify from the shadows, bringing a platter of tea. She set it down, pulling daisy colored hair behind her shoulder and back away when Six flicked their wrist. “The Match system has never had this sort of problem before, and we currently have our experts working on figuring out the problem.”

“If you have your people working on it,” Ava asked – her voice was high, but seemed to bear some weight to it – “then why are we both here?”

Odin nodded, looking to Six.

“At the moment, both of you are people of interest – or I should say, both of us.” Six looked to Odin, narrowing their eyes before turning back to Ava. “So far, the only glitch is that the system chose both of us to be your Match – being Odin and I. When we reconfigure it correctly in the next couple of days, one of us will be your Match.”

“Wh-Whoopdie _shit_ ,” Odin replied harshly “Wh-Why are we h-here?”

“Until then,” they smoothed over the echo of Odin’s harsh tones with their own “both of you must be kept here.”

Ava sat up first, declaring “What! I can’t be kept here!”

Odin shadowed a moment after “Y-You can’t k-keep me here!”

Odin and Ava looked at the other, before feeling foolish and sitting back down. Six looked at Ava fondly, blue eyes almost soft with paper white skin. “And why not, Ava?”

“I have flowers back at my place that need daily care!” She insisted, her palms still flat against the table. Six poured a glass of tea and passed it to her, setting the kettle back down. She took it in her hands, but didn’t drink it.

“We will send you both with carrier vehicles back to your homes. There, you can collect what supplies you’ll need for the next week or so, and in that time you can inform others of your whereabouts.” They looked to Odin for a moment, and he glared back.

“S-So we’re being im-imprisoned here,” Odin shot back venomously.

“Think of it more as a detainment,” they replied with a wave of a hand, covered by a white glove. “The MATCH system is pivotal to this society, and if something is drastically wrong with it, then we have to fix it as soon as possible. To keep information about it quiet, we also need those involved within our care.”

“I still don’t like it,” Ava muttered. “Feels too impersonal.”

Six cocked their head, curiosity piqued. “What was that?”

She snapped out of her thoughts and set her tea down, going “Oh – uh, don’t worry about it. Can Odin and I go get our things?”

Six nodded.

“Hey,” Crow commented, eyes wide and curious “can we stay too?”

“Yeah,” Raven turned to Six “now that we know about it, aren’t we people of interest?”

Six’s eyebrows shot into their bangs as they replied “Of course not. Who’s going to believe two twelve year olds about the potential flaws in the MATCH system? My assumption is that your brother is going to leave you with someone semi-responsible to make sure you don’t get into any mischief during his absence,” Six turned to Odin “correct?”

“Y-Yeah,” Odin replied, suspicion creeping into his voice “S-Something l-like that…”

“Good. Ava, you can go with the guard over there – they’ll take you to District C.” She nodded and sat up, leaving cold tea and walking towards a guard by the far corner of the room. She hesitated and turned back for a moment to wave at Raven again, before stepping out the door.

“She’s nice,” Raven commented again with a cat’s smile, hand still suspended from where she waved.

“Yes she is,” Six murmured, and Odin caught their gaze as they glared at the other. There was a moment of tense silence, when Six said aloud “Is there something you wanted to ask, Arrow?”

“…No.” Odin sat up, out of his seat. “Nothing at all.”

Six braided their fingers together. “The guard you came here with will escort you home and back again.” Their voice was cold, unsympathetic, and they said nothing more as they turned to look out the nearby windows.

Odin turned and headed towards the wide doors, a constricting feeling in his gut.

This was going to be a long week, wasn’t it?

“Hey,” Crow noted as they stepped from tile onto plush carpet once more “Ava… she did garden then, right? She mentioned flowers.”

“Oh yeah,” Raven stretched her arms, pulling them behind her head “I wonder if they’re the synthetically grown ones, or the real ones?”

“Sh-She seemed p-pretty concerned,” Odin thought aloud, thinking back to fire-hair and timid waves “and s-synthetics don’t wilt that easily.”

“Real flowers…” Raven thought aloud, smiling a little as they passed by other corridors, just as grand as the one they were walking down “that would be nice.”

“Yeah,” Odin replied softly “it w-would be.”

>>>>>>>>> 

Ava hastily grabbed what folded clothes she had, shoving them into a narrow leather suitcase as a guard stayed by her door.

“ _Ava? Where the hell have you been, I’ve been trying to call you for the last two hours!_ ”

“I’m so sorry Maggie,” Ava apologized, her phone cushioned between her face and her shoulder as she pushed her flowerpots towards the windowsills, watering them along with shoving her half-folded clothes into the bag “a lot has happened lately-”

“ _I know, we totally got separated when the MATCH system started flipping out. Did you hear? It’s on temporary maintenance because some hot girl got two matches!_ ”

“I-Is that so?” Ava asked in a fluster, trying not to sound anxious.

“ _I know right, how lucky! Oh, and Ava!_ ”

“Yeah?” Ava shoved her toothbrush and hairbrush into the bag, zipping it shut.

“ _While I was in A, I met the cutest guy! His name’s Gil, and he’s super cute! You have to meet him!_ ”

“Uh,” Ava hoisted her bag onto the bed, pulling her phone charger from the wall “some other time Maggie, I’m gonna be busy for the next few days, please water my plants while I’m gone…”

“ _Ava_?” Suspicion crept into her friend’s tone. “ _What’s going on?”_

The Guard form the doorway saw Ava collecting her things, and asked politely “Are you almost finished, Miss Ire?”

_“…holy shit, was an Elite Guard talking?”_

“Bye Maggie!” Ava shouted into the phone, hanging up and putting it on mute. She shoved it into her pocket and ran her hands down her face. “Oooh, I hope she remembers to water them…” Ava looked around the tiny room, covered in plants and flowers, all of them real and alive and growing – anxiety slithered down her lungs and she sucked in a breath.

The Guard took the suitcase from her hands. “Miss Ire, Strategos gave me specific orders to ensure you were treated with the upmost care. If you would be more relaxed – perhaps – I can send out a reminder message for your friend?”

Ava felt a rush of relief. “Oh, could you please? It took me so long to grow these…” The guard nodded and stepped back so she could step out the door.

“If there’s anything you need, Miss-” the guard began, but Ava shook her head.

“Why are you being so attentive?” Ava cocked her head as she locked her door, shoving her keys into her pockets and walking alongside the guard.

“The Strategos was very specific about your needs.” He looked down at her sidelong, as though confused that she would ask.

“What’s your name?” Ava asked as they entered the elevator. The Guard scuffed his foot awkwardly.

“…Daniel.”

Ava smiled. “Well – Daniel – why are you wearing your visor and mask? This area isn’t known to be dangerous.” They blinked, before looking around sheepishly as both stepped into the elevator.

As the elevator doors shut, he pulled off his helmet. Daniel had a mustache.

Ava laughed. “I wouldn’t think you had a mustache under the helmet and mask!” She could see his face flush a little as he put it back on.

“Helmets and masks are for protocol,” he explained “and the Strategos doesn’t really approve of facial hair…” Daniel seemed a little more confident though, straightening his shoulders and looking at her with more ease.

“I like mustaches,” Ava replied. “I remember my dad had one, but it was bushier than yours, and not as well kempt.”

“…you know, usually people don’t talk to the guards,” Daniel led her outside, back to the carrier vehicle that would bring them back from District C to the Parliament. She slipped inside and dangled her feet from the seat.

“Well, to be fair, the guards are pretty intimidating.” She shrugged, pulling the fire of her hair over one shoulder and keeping her jacket tight around her. “But, if I’m going to be at Parliament for a while… it… it doesn’t hurt to make friends?”

Daniel stared at her for a moment, before saying aloud “You’re perfect.”

Ava blinked up owlishly at him, and the car rumbled as they started back towards Parliament. She wanted to inquire further as to how the guard came to the conclusion of her ‘perfection’ but decided she was already in enough trouble as is. Because of her – somehow – the system messed up, and now she had to stay at Parliament, along with Odin.

He looked sort of scary. Thinking back, he had ruffled black hair and a jacket that clung around him like a shadow – his sisters seemed nice enough, though.

She wondered how he felt about this situation.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“Odin,” Olai warned lowly, his voice rumbling in the back of his throat, sweet with the scent of alcohol “why in the hell is there an Elite TiTAN guard shadowing you?”

“L-Long story,” Odin replied dryly, dumping his clothes into a duffel bag. He shoved in a few other clothes, and turned to face his brother, who was seething in the doorway.

“I’m sure you have time,” Olai bit, drumming fingers on his bicep.

“I r-really don’t,” Odin sighed as he grabbed a pocket knife and slipped it into his boot. Even if it was Parliament, he wasn’t going unarmed. “If y-you wanna know, ask the g-girls.”

“What would the girls know?”

“Th-They were there when it h-happened,” he zipped up his duffel bag, slinging it over one shoulder. “I sh-should be back in a w-week.”

Olai exhaled in exasperation, waving a hand angrily and exiting into the kitchen. It was obvious Odin was in some deep shit, but if he wasn’t causing permanent trouble for the family, he didn’t have the strength to pester. He’d bug him about it when he got back, or over the phone when he was more sober.

The Guard spoke up. “You have a… _charming_ family.”

Odin glared. “I d-don’t remember asking you. L-Let’s go,” he directed darkly as they went back out into the garbage lined streets, the smell of smoke thick around them.

He shuffled into the car, and the guard followed, signaling to the driver that they were set. As the vehicle rumbled to life, Odin scowled at the streets they passed.

“Any reason you’re glaring at the window like it owes you something?”

Odin’s attention snapped back to the Elite, face and head covered by a helmet and visor. He could see eyes watching him curiously though, and he didn’t like it. It was like he was in an observation tank.

“Y-You should really k-keep to yourself,” Odin mumbled, looking back to the streets he was so familiar to.

“You will be staying in Parliament for a week. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to try and know the Guards.”

He snickered. “Th-They’ve never wanted to kn-know me before.”

“How could they not, what with your charming attitude.” The Elite looked back out the window just as Odin turned to talk back, and so the rebuttal was sitting on Odin’s tongue.

“F-Fine,” he responded “wh-what’s your name then?”

He could barely see the edges of a smile underneath the blue mask. “Gev.” Odin looked away, drumming calloused fingers along his scratchy chin. “And by the way – you’re going to lose.”

He blinked. “L-Lose?”

However, they had arrived back in District A, and the Guard was busy checking his communications. Odin mulled on his words – lose? Lose to what?

Lose to who?

The car slowed to a stop, and he couldn’t pile out fast enough. The unspoiled brick under his boots was enough to make him shudder as he looked around. They were in the same car port as before, but he could see someone vaguely familiar.

Ava – his might-be might-not-be match – was speaking to the Guard that escorted her. Judging by her sweet smiles and how relaxed the guard looked, Odin decided she was probably good at suckering people.

She spotted him and her smile twisted a little. He expected her to turn the other way, but she didn’t. Instead, she waved him over as her guard opened the doors with his keycard.

“Odin… right?” He nodded, watching as she curled a lock of hair in her fingers. It was fire in her fingertips – he hadn’t seen red hair in ages. “I’m really sorry about all this. I mean, if I could, you’d still be back with your sisters, but…” She worried her lower lip between her teeth. “I’m just – sorry.”

He stared at her blankly for a moment, watching as her peachy cheeks caught the rays of the setting sun and lit her skin like bronze. He swallowed and found his throat was gummy.

She wasn’t good at suckering people – she was just _good_.

“It – It’s not y-your fault. Str-Strategos said it was a c-comput-ter error, right?”

She nodded a little, but there was still a veil of anxiety over her face. He wanted to say something that could yank that veil off and shine that smile she bore earlier – but what could he say? They were basically strangers.

“This way,” her guard led cheerily, while Gev shot Odin a glare. He shrugged it off, not at all impressed by the Elite’s version of the hairy eye.

“Is this your first time in Parliament?” Ava asked, stopping a moment so she could walk alongside him. Her red dress tickled her knees, and her jacket was tight around her shoulders. She carried her things in an old suitcase – _very_ old, considering it was bound in _leather_. He shook his head a little.

“Nah. I w-was here once when I w-was a kid.”

“Really? Me too.” They went around a corner, and he waited behind a moment to look at her hair. He hadn’t seen red hair in forever, not since that older woman he spotted in District D during the Scavenger attacks. Nowadays, everyone had the same sort of hair color – it was refreshing to see someone that stuck out, like himself. He could see that her hair was pulled back by a few little braids, probably done by a friend, and he could barely see the woven strands throughout the rest of her hair. She was still talking, and turned to look at him. “I hadn’t been in here since I was – oh, maybe four years old? I hadn’t been back until today.”

“M-Me neither… District D and all th-that…” He looked away, to one of the overly-extravagant decorations on the wall in an attempt to miss whatever look she was giving him, but instead she only responded “That must have been difficult.”

“Wh-What?”

She blinked as they approached the same room from earlier. “Submitting your MATCH information. It’s a real hassle, isn’t it? You have to mail it in up to three times, because it’s nearly impossible to get into Parliament yourself, right?”

He cracked a smile in surprise. There wasn’t pity in her voice, but understanding, and a sort of mutual irritation. “H-How would you-”

“Ava!” Six’s voice was smooth in comparison to the naturally gritty tone of Odin’s words. “Did you get what you needed?”

She nodded bashfully as Six approached, putting an arm around her shoulders to usher her forward. “Uh… yes… I think.”

Odin felt a prickle up his spine at the generosity that Six seemed to be showing her. No, not generosity… it was something else.

It was _creepy_.

“No matter – I’ll have your needs seen to during the duration of your stay.” Ava turned to look back at Odin where he stood in the doorway, halting her footsteps for him to catch up.

He did, once again walking next to her, appreciating her hesitation.

“Ah… is that so?” She turned back to Six. “I don’t think all of these niceties are necessary-”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s due to the system’s error that you’ve been taken from house and home, therefore it’s only natural to show some attention on our part.” Odin couldn’t see their face, but he could see eyebrows quirk in waiting.

Ava cocked her head, fire spilling over the white sleeve of Six’s suit. “For Odin too?”

Six twitched, before glancing to Odin with cold eyes. “…of course.”

“Oh g-good,” Odin responded aloud, though they weren’t talking to him “it was r-really getting on my an-anxiety that I might not be p- _pampered_.”

“I doubt we’ll be pampered,” Ava replied with a nervous roll of her shoulders, Six’s arm sliding away from her “after all, I think TiTAN considers us to be trouble.”

“When are you going to believe that TiTAN holds nothing against you?” They straightened out the collar of their white suit, as though it was a habit – nervous or neutral, Odin didn’t know, but it was still irritating to watch.

Ava stared back at them evenly. “When you stop making these bars look appealing.”

Six stopped and quirked a brow.

“We’re being kept here, whether we like it or not – and if you _really_ didn’t suspect us of anything, Odin and I would be at home.” Her voice was no longer quaking or nervous, but held a hardness that showed her experience in being manipulated. “You can play nice all you want, and I will too – but just know your ruse is as transparent as your petty gestures.”

Six stared at her in shock, and Odin wore a similar expression. A moment ago she had been timid and curious, though riddled with anxiety.

What was _this_?

Six reached out and pulled her hand up, holding it suspended. “You’re right. We’re keeping you here, when you want to be home. And I _am_ sorry for that.” They squeezed her hand a little. “We’ll try to fix this problem as soon as we can.”

Ava’s previous anger had ebbed, and she pulled her hand back, clearing her throat awkwardly. She wasn’t used to kindness, or fake kindness, because she reeled in her anger like a fish and kept its squirming body behind an anxious smile. “Um. Can – _uhm_ \- Where are our rooms to stay in?”

Six looked pleased, if not impressed. They didn’t turn when they said aloud “Prudith, notify Nervine and another from the staff.” A girl standing behind Six, with wide glasses and a pinched expression, tapped on a tablet and spoke into her headset a little. Moments later, the daisy-haired maid from earlier and one with thicker, tightly curled hair came in through the far door. “The maids will show you to your room.”

“Th-This place has m-maids?” Odin blanched as they neared.

“Anyplace with a surplus of people must be cleaned,” Six replied as they turned to talk to that Prudith girl, when Odin grinned. He wanted a fight – he was really getting annoyed with Six’s irate responses, treating him like he was a dumb child, and now was as good a time as any to get on the bad side of someone practically famous.

“Oh, and h-here I thought you n-needed maids to cl-clean up your lying, t- _trash mouth_.” Six spun around, blue eyes burning neon, and Odin was about to drop his duffel bag in preparation for a fight.

“It’s you!” Ava exclaimed at the daisy haired maid. The surprise in her tone was enough to make Six and Odin cease whatever schoolyard brawl they were about to initiate, and the blonde maid took her suitcase with a confused expression. “Ah-” Ava fiddled with the hem of her dress, looking down at her feet “you brought me tea earlier, and I didn’t drink any, cuz’ I was too nervous…”

The maid blinked, turning to the other with a tiny smile before bringing her attention back to Ava. “Miss Ire, I can always make more tea! Come on then,” she linked arms with the girl, causing Ava to fluster in shock from the sudden closeness “let’s bring you to your room.” The other maid took the bag from Odin and waited with a humored smile on her face, dark skin spotted with freckles.

Odin grumbled and shoved his hands in his pockets, following the both of them. He looked over his shoulder for a moment to see Six watching them walk away, glaring at Odin and regarding Ava with a fond expression.

He remembered what Gev had said: _You’re going to lose._

Odin scoffed as the doors were closed behind him and Six was blocked from view.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava looked around her room.

This… couldn’t be right.

A grand bed was against the far window, lined with silk. The curtains were thin and wafting against wide windows, and there was a delicately carved cabinet parallel to the bed, with a TV and drawers for her clothes. There was a door to the bathroom, which, although beautiful, was far too large.

Just the bathroom was larger than her apartment. She felt anxiety worm up her stomach and make her mouth taste sour, but what could she do? The daisy haired maid – Ranunculae, right? – had said to call her or Nevy if she needed anything, but that only added to the surreal atmosphere of her situation. She had never been waited on before, the surreal sensation of being in a new environment combined with her temporary status made her breathing clench like a fist in her chest.

She twiddled her thumbs and opened her front door into the hallway. Just a few doors down was Odin’s room. Ava sucked in a breath and steadied herself, rigidly making her way towards his door. Pink knuckles hit the glossed wood as she knocked, taking a step back.

The door was flung open sloppily as Odin was rubbing his face. “I sw-swear if you off-offer to get me a nicotine patch ag-again-” and once his hand was dragged off the ridge of his nose, he saw it was Ava and sobered up. “Oh. Wh-What’re you d-doing here?”

She looked over his shoulder. His room was normal, a bed, TV – with a small door, to a no doubt, small bathroom. She spotted his duffel bag still zipped on his bed. “You haven’t unpacked yet either, huh?”

He nodded, looking back at the bed. “At l-least they weren’t st-stingy with the rooms. Its be-better than what I’m used t-to.”

She looked down at the tile underneath her worn mary janes. Odin’s shoes were leather, and either side of the toe had a crackled and wrinkled patch on the boot that showed the age of the pair, tattered and used. They looked real.

“Can you come to my room for a moment?” She blurted. He blinked and passed her a suspicious look, eyes narrowing to conceal indigo under pale lids. “Please – it’s really weird.”

He followed her back to her room, and he whistled. “I t-totally got filched on the wh-whole room thing. Y-Your room is like t-ten times bigger than m-mine.”

She slapped her face with her hands in a burst of frustration. “It is! I can’t stand it, please switch rooms with me!”

He made a gruff noise from the back of his throat in astonishment. “Wh-What?” He looked down, a confused expression greeting her.

“It’s too big. I’ve grown up in rooms the size of a shoebox all my life, I can’t – It’s too big! It makes me feel, I dunno… Small.” She yanked her hair back, fingers roughly pulling the scarlet aside. “Even the _bathroom_ is way too big.”

Odin hummed a little. “Y-You know wh-what, why not. I’ve al-always wanted to tr-trash a fancy room.”

Her face paled.

“I’m k-kidding, sheesh, no n-need to look so h-horrified.” She grabbed her suitcase, and Odin grappled his duffel bag to his chest like a pillow.

“Thank you,” she smiled at him in the hall as they passed the other, and he nodded with a small smirk of his own.

“G’night, Ava,” he bid just before he shut the door of the grand room.

“Good night!”

Ava looked around her new room, much more comfortable with the setting. She began to unpack, and a room over, Odin did the same.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ranunculae poured some coffee into a mug, stirring some cream and sugar into it.

“She has got to be the friendliest person I have ever met,” Daniel told her, leaning in the doorway. He held a mug of coffee to his lips, helmet under one arm. “I mean, what kind of person asks for a Guard’s name?”

“She’s either incredibly naïve or has a spine made of steel,” Gev noted, stretching back in a seat. Most of the employees – maids or guards otherwise, domestic or military set aside – all sat in one of the break rooms during the later hours to gossip and unwind.

“Naïve and brash,” Prudith decided as she pulled out an energy drink for the employee ice-chest. “Did you see the way she spoke to Six? She’s got no right to speak to them like that.”

“That’s just because you’re working a crush on ol’ Strategos,” Daniel noted with a quirked brow, and Prudith glared, cheeks burning into her drink. “I think she’s gonna be good for the General.”

“Whoa,” Nevy, who was pulling her thick hair back into a tighter ponytail, hair clinging to the back of her neck, had interjected “who said she was going to MATCH with Six? She was also Matched to Odin, you know.”

“For love of – we _can’t_ be talking about this,” Fira complained aloud, setting her helmet aside. “I mean, it’s not our place to judge who the little spitfire is going to end up with.”

Gev snorted, thanking Ranunculae as she handed him a drink “I just hope it’s anyone _but_ Arrow. You know that guy _smokes_? Smells like an ashtray,” he complained before taking a drink from his mug.

“I think he’s nice,” Nevy said with a tiny smile, nursing her coffee “he’s just got that _bad-boy_ outlook. I bet he’s a real sweetheart on the inside.”

Gev rolled his eyes. “I’ll bet. He also cares for _bunnies_ in his off time and picks _flowers_ from the borders of District D.” Nevy threw a wadded up napkin at him. Daniel laughed at their antics.

“Come on Nevy, this isn’t some sort of _competition_ ,” Daniel said aloud as he straightened out his mustache.

Ranunculae clapped her hands together. “Now, that’s an idea!”

They all turned to her, guards and employees alike.

“How about a wager?” Her wide, grass-green eyes shimmered with mirth. “We all bet which suitor will win over Ava’s favor.”

Prudith slammed her palm on the table. “ ** _No_**.”

Daniel grinned, white teeth under his mustache. “ ** _Yes!_** Who bets on the General?” He looked around, hand raised. Gev and Fira raised their hands, and in Fira’s case she still continued to drink her coffee idly, as though she was still disconnected from the conversation. They looked to Prudith and she glowered.

“Although… Ire doesn’t deserve Six, the good General could win anyone over.”

Daniel pointed at her. “That’s a bet! Now, who bets that Arrow will win Ava over?”

Nevy and Ranunculae raised their hands. “That’s only two bets,” Daniel grinned.

“ _Three_ ,” a gentle voice came from the doorway. Tuls, the mountain of a man, stood blocking out the door. They all jumped in surprise – the gardener usually kept to himself, only talking to Ranunculae – and he smiled softly. “Ava cares for plants as I do, and I do not think the General would care for a flower as delicate as her. The Arrow boy is brash, but considerate.”

“That’s still four against three,” Gev noted.

“That just means a bigger check for us when Odin wins Ava over,” Ranunculae stated sweetly, pulling her daisy hair from her face. Daniel laughed as Fira and Prudith both rolled their eyes mutually.

“Alright,” Nevy slapped her hand on the table, standing up. “Let the courting begin!”

>>>>>>>>>> 

In her room, Ava sneezed, rubbing her nose. Her mom used to tell her that if she sneezed out of the blue, that someone was talking about her.

Old superstition. She rolled over in strange smelling sheets and fell asleep.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 


	2. high tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tweaked this one in places too. still the same chapter though, lmao

Ava awoke groggily, not remembering where she was, the echoes of nightmares still blurring her sight with inky blacks. The usual soothing flowery smell was oddly absent, the scent of plants gone from her senses. The world was blue, instead of the warm yellows she had decorated her room in.

Sitting up, she scanned the world around her, realizing she was in Parliament.

_Oh. Right._

She leaned over and picked up her phone from a nearby nightstand, checking the time. It was around five in the morning, and the sun was barely seen above the horizon. Standing up, she pulled the blue curtains aside to watch the sunrise.

It wasn’t as nice, here in District A. She didn’t have a good view of all the sectors, while up in the high stories of her apartment, she had been able to see across the world - high above judging eyes with only plants and birds to understand what she sought.

From her apartment, she could see the edge of the ‘Utopia’ TiTAN had constructed around them. She could see past the walls and into the old warzone, overgrown with grass, brass shells and flowers intertwined a sign of the times. There wasn’t anything dangerous that she could see across the horizon, high above concrete and smog and politics, propaganda buried in the smell of - oh, the smell of the _world_. She could see the remnants of war machines, buried in soil, trees growing over the rusting iron. She could see past those unstable walls, and into an entire world hidden from Generations of those kept inside TiTAN’s walls.

From here in Parliament, you couldn’t even guess that there were any walls.

She supposed that was the point.

Looking back at her phone, she had around thirty missed calls from Maggie, and a few dozen texts. She sighed and rubbed her eyes with the tips of her fingers, flicking through the texts. Her lids burned a little from, probably, her crying in her sleep, and there were little crescent shaped bruises in her palms where she squeezed her hands into tight fists in the night.

Her friend had sent mostly pictures of her and an unknown boy. This must have been the ‘Gil’ she had been referring to when Ava spoke with her the day before. He was handsome enough.

She popped her back and grabbed a few clothes, deciding to shower. She barely got any sleep, and she had no doubt she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep with the alien world around her.

The bathroom was far simpler than the one in her old room, and she stopped at the mirror, furrowing her brows.

She tugged on her garish hair, running a hand down her cheeks and throat, stopping at the scar that crested her collarbone.

What was she doing here?

Maggie would have been suited to Parliament life better. She was pretty enough to live in District A.

Ava set her clothes aside and decided to stop brooding. There was nothing she could do about where she was for the moment. Twisting the handle, warm water gushed over her, and she closed her eyes to the soothing sensation.

_Who knows,_ she thought to herself _maybe today will be different._

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin sat up with a gasp, rolling out of bed.

This wasn’t his room, where in the Hell-?

He spotted the TiTAN insignia above the doorway, and he bitterly remembered the situation in piecemeal as his morning drowsiness plagued him - he was in Parliament. He was being kept here, along with Ava.

He rubbed his head a little - he had hit it on the floor when he leapt out of bed. “St-Stupid nightmares,” he muttered as he stood up, back popping. He really needed a smoke, but before that he needed to find a place he could go without being caught by guards. Nicotine and tobacco were technically illegal, though the rules held more elasticity the farther you lived from District A.

He pulled out a pair of clothes, and considered just getting dressed - but remembered the massive shower Ava had shied away from.

Fuck it, if he was going to be kept here against his will TiTAN was going to get one gigantic heating bill. He started the shower before even stepping inside, the area wide and spacious enough for several people. The hot water hissed as it splashed over the tile, and as he left the water running - _fuck you, TiTAN,_ he thought immaturely - he checked his phone. There was a call from Olai and a few from his sisters, along with a million texts. What time was it? He scanned past the crude messages to see it was fairly early, about six-thirty.

He tossed the phone onto the bed, undressing and setting his clothes aside in the corner. Entering the shower, perspiration already fogging up the nearby mirror, he felt the warmth across his shoulders and relaxed.

He wondered what the day held for him.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“Strategos,” Nervine tapped on the door “the Grand suite’s showers are running. Ire must be awake, now.”

They pulled the door open, blue hair a mess and suit wrinkled. “She’s up?” they asked as they rubbed their eyes, medical mask loose around their throat to show their pretty face.

Nevy tutted at them, fingers tugging on their white suit. “You slept in your clothes again?”

“I need to find out why the MATCH system is malfunctioning,” they yawned, turning around and allowing Nevy inside. She started straightening out a few files they had lingering about, papers strewn across a nearby table and scattered on the floor. “A single isolated event is nothing to be worried about, but we really can’t risk another two-Match error.”

“Well,” she smiled a little “we’re making sure that Ava is being kept to. Actually, Ranunculae is off getting her fresh towels.”

Six took a few files off their desk and wandered into their bathroom, combing out the frays in their snow-blue hair, unbuttoning their suit coat to grab another. “No need,” they announced, holding the jacket over one arm and pulling their medical mask back over their face. “I’ll get them to her - just make sure Arrow hasn’t vandalized his room or anything.”

Nevy swallowed a lump in her throat.

_The bet._

“Yes, General,” she bid with a deep bow, almost blue hair sweeping behind her with the movement. She exited as Six began to change, and she sighed outside their door.

“I really hope you step up your game, Odin,” she muttered, making her way through the halls. She came to Odin’s door and knocked on it decidedly.

“Just a moment!” Ava replied through the door.

Nevy prickled. “Ava?” The door swung open, and Ava was tying her hair back, hair-tie between her teeth as she twisted the thick braid over a shoulder so she could knot the end “What in the world are you doing in Odin’s room?”

“Oh - I guess I should have told someone,” she nervously drummed her fingers along her chin. “Odin and I switched rooms, because the one I was given was way too big.”

Nevy stared at her blankly, before stifling a laugh.

“Wh...what?” Ava asked to her amused expression, palm over mouth as her shoulders trembled.

“Oh, nothing Ava. Nothing at all.” Nevy examined Ava’s outfit with a critical eye. It consisted of a red blouse and a neutral colored skirt that wafted easily as feathers. She looked cute, but Nevy’s eyes lingered on her collar, where she could see the white blotch of a scar. “What’s-”

Ava pulled her collar up and asked aloud “Uhm, is there any chance I could get some food? I mean, I don’t know what the plans are here…”

“Oh,” Nevy smiled and assured “Breakfast will be at seven - Six has meals set up for you and Odin.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Ava patted her stomach. “I never got lunch or dinner yesterday…”

Nevy gave her a sympathetic look. “Because of the MATCH problems… Well, don’t worry about it!” She gestured grandly and popped a hip. “Here at Parliament, we’ll be sure to take care of any of your needs!”

Ava looked disturbed and unsure, curling in on herself a little and taking a tentative look to the side, exhaling with trembling shoulders. The mantra felt overly practiced and fake as a _good day_ message from a fast food joint. “...Thank you…”

Nevy realized how nervous she must have been, coming from District C and ending up here in Headquarters. “Breakfast is in half an hour, if you want to freshen up.”

Ava blinked. “What?”

“Your clothes.”

“What about them?”

Nevy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Ah… do you have anything a little more suited for breakfast with the Strategos?”

Ava shrugged, tugging her braided hair over one shoulder and kneading it nervously. “I’m already dressed…” she mumbled, confused as she looked down at her skirts.

The head maid sighed. “I’ll… I’ll bring something later.” She bid Ava goodbye and rubbed her temples - this was going to be a major chore.

In her thoughts, she didn’t think to tell Strategos of the room changes.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Strategos held fresh towels over one arm, entering the grand suite with an inkling of anxiety. They were delivering towels for Ava, nothing more - but she would no doubt need them in the bathroom, and that brought hesitation. They slid the bathroom door open, a thick shower curtain concealing the figure in the shower, and Six sighed in relief. The air was heavy with steam, and the mirror was fogged as they looked around. They set the towels by the sink.

“I brought towels for you,” they announced confidently as they took a glance at the plastic curtain “so don’t worry about stepping out for them, _dear_.”

There was the sound of what sounded to be a shampoo bottle falling down and frantic scrabbling. Six quirked a brow before recoiling at the sight of the curtain being yanked aside.

It was not Ava Ire showering in the Grand Suite.

Odin stared at Strategos Six with a confused, stale expression. Water dripped off his chin where the shower continued to hit his head.

The last thing Six had wanted to see that morning was a hairy, naked, wet man.

“H-Hello, _honey_ ,” Odin sniggered at Six’s expression. The General did not hesitate to pick up the nearby towels and literally throw them at Odin, one hitting his face with a wet slap while another flung along his torso.

Six stomped out, ears hot at Odin’s gasping laughter in the shower, and they slammed the door childishly.

They sidestepped into the hall and knocked on what they assumed to be Odin’s door, and as they hypothesized, Ava answered it. Her hair was braided back, and she was wearing a simple outfit.

“I told you I didn’t want to-” she glanced up and faltered. “-Oh. Sorry, General, I - I thought you were someone else…”

They cleared their throat and look back at the Grand Suite’s door. “...I would appreciate it, if next time to decide to change locations, if you would inform me. It would… dissuade any confusion.”

She slapped a hand against her cheek. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized “I thought I told one of the maids…”

They brushed their bangs out of their face. “Just - next time, please.”

Ava nodded. “Yeah, I’ll try not to forget.”

Six took her hand in their own bringing it up towards their face. Brushing the medical mask atop her knuckles they bid “Until breakfast.”

They really adored the blush that flushed her cheeks. There was a certain amount of satisfaction knowing they still had their charm, and it was especially vindicating to be practicing it against the girl who would most likely be their match. “Ah - until then…” she muttered, her other hand brought up to her face. They nodded and left back down the hall, shooting Odin’s room a dirty look.

Their plan had been to do a few favors for Ava and win her approval at breakfast beforehand. Her need for a smaller room brought no small amount of confusion and embarrassment on their part - and they idly hoped that Odin wouldn’t mention the incident. Not to mention the whole fiasco might affect Odin’s pride as well - they decided to go see if breakfast was in the works and try to bleach Arrow’s memory from their mind.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava couldn’t figure out why Odin kept grinning to himself. “Did something funny happen?” she questioned, his pale skin flushed with violet as he snorted. He smiled at her, crooked teeth and the smell of cigarettes puncturing the air when he spoke.

“J-Just… s-something funny w-with the good G-General.”

She looked aside while the Guards led them down the fall. “I don’t think the General has a sense of humor…”

“Th-They don’t.”

“Then you did something funny?”

He coughed into his elbow. “N-Nope.”

She kept up with him while they walked. Judging by how messy his hair was, he must’ve recently gotten out of the shower.

“Soooo, unintentionally funny?”

He snapped his finger. “B-Bullseye, firefly.”

Ava gave him a look, brows knit together as her lips pursed. “...firefly?” He blinked before responding anxiously, words clumsy.

“A-Ah… because of y-your hair.”

She tugged on the red braid experimentally. “It is kind of bright, isn’t it,” she noted as she watched how the sunlight made it burn in her hand. When Odin didn’t reply, she turned to look at him in time for him to turn away.

Huh. Weird.

Ava looked around at the walls once more, mouthing the latin that lined the top of the ceiling, walking with her head thrown back to look at the paintings on the ceiling. Parliament was built like a fine museum, and Ava adored all the art and architecture. When they passed by a set of chalk-white pillars, Ava ran the pads of her fingers over the gritty surface, smiling a little to herself.

The Guards, who had been strangely quiet, led them into an elevator. “The dining room is on one of the upper levels,” Daniel explained, and Ava smiled to herself that she recognized him.

“Did you remind Maggie about the flowers?” She asked with a pang of concern as the elevator doors slid shut. The inside smelled of floor cleaner, and the floor keys were lined in gold.

Daniel blinked before chuckling aloud, ducking his head a little. “It’s a little strange that you can recognize me, even with the helmet… but yes, I had an Email sent.”

Ava sighed a breath of relief, turning back to talk with Odin. He looked visibly disturbed, blinking and frowning. “What?”

“I’ve n-never heard a g-guard laugh before.”

The other one piped up “Perhaps if you would share whatever you keep giggling to yourself about, you might hear it a little more often.”

Odin scowled. “H-Hi again, _Gev_. Wh-Why are you here?”

The Guard, Gev apparently, explained “Strategos will have the same guard patrol you, as they wish for you to be as comfortable as possible.” Ava leaned over a little, trying to see if she might glimpse what he looked like behind a blue-tinted visor. He noticed her staring and fidgeted. “...Yes, Miss Ire?”

“What do you look like under the helmet?”

Odin made a sputtering sound. “A-Ava, you don’t j-just ask something like th-that to a TiTAN guard, they’re-”

Gev pulled his helmet off, revealing an off yellow shade of grey hair, like faded wallpaper, and dark skin, heavily freckled. He blinked nervously. “I’m nothing special,” he muttered a moment later, slipping it back on. Ava smiled gently.

“Maybe - but it’s always good to know what’s under someone’s mask, is all.”

The guards exchanged a look before the elevator chimed, golden doors pulling aside. In front of them was a vast dancing hall, the floor made of shimmering ivory tile and wide archways. They stepped out to find a singular table close to the entrance.

The table was adorned with beautiful china, the tablecloth, transparent, smooth and silky blue. There were seats for three, and one end of the small table was Strategos Six. They were wearing a fresh suit, newly ironed and pressed free of wrinkles, snow blue hair combed back to show striking neon eyes. Their medical mask was pulled tight around their face, gloved fingers drumming along their forearm. When they saw Ava, they lit up and stood, hand outstretched to take her by the shoulder.

“Ava, good morning! I didn’t ask earlier, how did you sleep?” They pulled out a chair for her to sit in, and she blinked a few times before she realized the gesture. Looking at the table, it was fancy – there was a vase of flowers in the middle, with decorative engravings on the table itself that made it look like a tangle of vines.

“I…slept okay,” she replied, looking to the side. In actuality, she had not. Parliament brought back too many bitter memories, but she swallowed them down and gave them a faintly confident smile.

Odin took his seat and leaned back against the seat, folding his arms behind his head. “I sl-slept like crap,” he replied brusquely, a sneer thinning his lips.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t ask you then, did I?” Six replied curtly, eyes narrowed into slits as they glared at him.

Ava felt like they were trying to stab the other with glares and rude gestures, so she cleared her throat and asked aloud “Six, what about you? How did you sleep?”

They blinked owlishly at the question, as though they hadn’t comprehended it. “OH. I… well. I didn’t really sleep that much last night,” they admitted with a small duck of their head.

“Why not?”

A few maids entered, carrying platters of pancakes, waffles, and fresh fruit. Ava instantly perked up seeing the silver dishes carrying food.

“I’m still working on why the MATCH system glitched,” they replied, braiding their fingers together. They weren’t served any food, but a single glass of water – Ava got a plate of perfectly round waffles, and Odin of pancakes. A bowl of cream was set on the table, along with syrups and other desirables. Ava glanced back up at Six while they spoke. “We haven’t found anything yet.”

“Wh-Who’s _we_?” Odin interjected, looking accusatory.

“Myself, along the developers of the MATCH system,” they replied in a clipped, frustrated tone. Ava swallowed hard and looked down at her food, picking up her silverware. It was engraved in gold, or something that looked gold, and she tried not to lose her appetite at all the extravagance.

Odin placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up. “C-Can you sw-switch plates with me?” She blinked and looked down at his platter.

“Do you not like pancakes?”

“N-Not _these_ p-pancakes.”

Ava began reaching out to take his plate and exchange it with hers. However, there was the flash of white as Six’s hand slapped the pancake straight in the middle, stopping the plate from moving with their palm sinking into it.

Ava and Odin stared at their outstretched hand on the plate, before looking up.

“There was a bug,” they excused flatly.

“L-Like hell there w-was,” Odin barked, sitting up and pointing an accusatory finger at them “y-you poisoned my p-pancakes, didn’t you?!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” they replied smoothly, pulling the pancake back as their fingers were buried in the flaky top “there was a bug and I simply did not want you to eat it.” Once they pulled the plate back enough, a maid took it and scurried off while another removed their caked glove and slipped a fresh one over their hand. “There’s no need to be dramatic, Arrow.”

Odin glared, but his attitude took a twist as Ava pushed her plate aside toward him. “It’s okay,” she insisted, kneading her hands together in her lap “I sort of lost my appetite. I’ll eat something later.”

“A-Are you sure?”

She looked away, ignoring how sharply her stomach protested. “Yeah.” She may have been hungry, but this whole affair ruined it. The fresh fruit looked appealing, but just the thought of chewing anything made her feel nauseous around such a tense situation. She doubted that the Strategos was trying to poison Odin, but she also doubted that they wouldn’t try anything that would make Odin be quiet for a few hours. She drew her gaze to the tiled floor, and her worn shoes, and how out of place both appeared.

“I can order another platter,” Six suggested, looking concerned.

“No thank you,” she replied quietly. “Do I need an escort to take me outside, or can I look as I please?” Her voice was weighed, and tired. Six weighed their next words, eyes curious.

“No. You are free to wander, and to visit the kitchens whenever your appetite returns.”

She bobbed her head, nodding. “Thank you. I’ll see you two… later.” She pushed herself out from the table, standing and heading towards the door. She didn’t look back – she was tired. Before she exited, she tugged on Daniels arm.

“Yes, Miss Ire?”

“Is there anyplace I can go for a breath of fresh air?”

Daniel smiled under his helmet. “Of course. Might I try to convince you to eat some breakfast, though?”

Ava laughed a little. “You can try.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin dragged his gaze back to the Strategos, cold eyes fixated on the door as they watched Ava leave. The moment the doors clicked shut, those eyes glared at Odin, brows furrowing as they unbraided their fingers.

“Y-You were trying to p-poison me,” Odin accused again, cutting up the waffle into even parts. Ava’s food wouldn’t be tainted in any way.

“Of course not, that would be murder. One killing another is not permitted under TiTAN rule.” Odin could see the slight pull of a smile under their mask. “However, there is nothing remotely stated about tranquilizers.”

“Wh-Why in the _hell_ a-are you so a-adamant about this?” Odin had taken a few bites, but glared at Six again, crooked teeth flashing under a scowl. “I w-want to go h-home, s-same as Ava. I’m n-not your rival.”

“Ah, but you are.” Six stood and Odin stiffened, holding the butter-knife tightly. Six paced their side of the table. “I have not had a MATCH since the system went operational, and I am not planning on losing my opportunity for a partner to a _matchless_ child, like yourself.”

The door creaked slightly, but Odin ignored it as he demanded “How d-do you-?”

“TiTAN has everything on record, including your pathetic parent’s illegal fornication. An unmatched couple that produces equally unmatched children.” They sneered, hands folded behind their back, shoulders squared as they stood with their back against the window. Light pooled around their form, and Odin’s glare only intensified. “If your parents had waited for their _true_ match, perhaps you wouldn’t have that genetic disability, that flaw, that _ties your tongue_.”

Odin’s ears went hot. “A st-stutter isn’t gen-g-genetic, you asshole!”

Six laughed dryly. “Oh, so it’s just your _personality_ that’s flawed, then?” Odin stood abruptly, pushing the table forward, fully prepared to hurl something at the General.

“ _Strategos Six!_ ” He turned and could see that Ava had been lingering at the door, her hands folded over her mouth as she looked at Odin. She had unbraided her hair, and it looked like she was in the process of re-braiding it, but stopped.

Odin felt his gut drop. She knew he was a matchless now… there was no chance she’d want to be with him.

Not that he was trying, or anything.

Ava strode through the door, hooking an arm around Odin’s. “Come on,” she prodded. Looking over her shoulder, she declared to Six “I think the General needs some time alone to _think_ about what they just said.” Strangely enough, her words were laced with anger, white hot barbs to Strategos. She pulled Odin forward and they walked through the hall.

He didn’t want to think about the shame on his face – his parent’s shame, his shame, it didn’t matter. Matchless were the lowest of the low. Ava still had her arm around his, and her fingers squeezed his bicep a little. He blinked and looked over to her as they walked.

“I came back because Daniel convinced me to try and eat, but I wanna show you something instead,” she told him with a tiny smile, still tugging him along.

“Wh-What?”

They both entered the elevator and she hit for the bottom floor, letting go of his arm. He traced his fingers over where her hands had been sitting.

“Hey,” she said as the elevator lowered. “That’s not right. What Strategos said to you.”

He looked away. “It d-doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” she insisted. He turned to look at her, and the confidence on her face was enough to make him falter. “They shouldn’t treat you that way because of your parents.”

“D-Do you th-think they were wrong?” Odin couldn’t help but ask. “M-My parents, f-for getting involved.”

She looked back at the elevator doors and was silent. Odin felt that squirming cold in his stomach, where anxiety had settled like an eel. The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open.

“Of course not,” she muttered. Odin snapped his head to look over at her in surprise, but before he could ask that question again, Ava was tugging him down a hall and through another door.

“Wh-Where are you taking me?”

She grinned at him, and his heart thumped. “Here.”

She threw open the doors, and there was a rush of scents and colors. The open doors revealed a vast garden, with wide flowers. He stepped out in awe, blinking against the morning.

There were rose bushes, and daises and poppies and snapdragons and forget-me-nots and - and it was enough to make him laugh. “Hah, I h-haven’t seen r-real flowers in f-forever!”

“You should come to my apartment sometime,” she offered as she closed the doors, following him along the white concrete paths that cut through the patches. “I have lilies over there, too.”

He gently brushed a rose, in awe at the velvety feel of its petals, a rich red in color. There was a faint, warm feeling along his spine that she would think to take him to her home. It was nice, that she thought of him.

“Also, I wanted to bring you out here so I could tell you something.” He looked away from the red rose to look at the red of her hair as she turned and looked around, inspecting for anyone watching. She gestured him over with her hand, and as he approached she leaned on the tips of her toes, face alarmingly close to his.

She smiled, and it was bitter as wild berries. He felt a blush flush over his cheeks when her mouth was close to his ear.

She whispered “I’m a _matchless_ too.”

He blinked in shock, before blurting “Wh-What?!” aloud. She stumbled back and waved her hands wildly.

“Shh, shhh!” She looked around, before sighing in relief.

“N-No you’re n- _not_. S-Six would have-”

“The system doesn’t know,” she interrupted.

Odin ran his hand through his hair, confused, but somehow excited. It was like finding a secret hiding place, except it was a _person_. It was a discovery – there were so few matchless kids in the world. “H-How?”

She started walking, and he followed her, surrounded by real, growing flowers. They would surely keep this conversation a secret. “My mom was a caseworker, when they were still ironing out the errors in the MATCH system. She got to go to Parliament a lot,” Ava explained, swinging her arms a little as they walked. “She fell in love with my dad, from District D, who came by to take the garbage. But, the MATCH system wouldn’t pair them, no way.”

“W-Well, if y-your mom is from A, and y-your dad is fr-from D-”

“There was no way! But… there used to be a lot of terrorist attacks from the Scavengers, if you remember that.” In a lower tone, she muttered “I know I do.”

Odin nodded, looking up at the dazzling flora. Ava stopped to squat down and smell periwinkle. “Y-Yeah, I remember. Th-They didn’t stop until… ten y-years ago, right?”

Ava nodded and stood back up. “Well, during one of the attacks on Parliament, during the confusion, my mom kind of… snuck in, and worked the system so that her and my dad would be matched.”

Odin stared at her as though struck.

“Y-Your… Your m-mom worked the _MATCH_ sy-system to get w-with your dad?”

Ava smiled at him brightly. “Yeah. I guess you could say I’m an illegal match.”

He coughed a laugh, straightening himself out. This girl wasn’t half bad. In fact, she was something else. “D-Does you mom h-have red h-hair like you too?”

“She did,” Ava’s smiled ebbed some.

“D-Did?”

She looked back towards the flowers and grew somber, quiet, hands loose at her sides. “My parents… they died during the last Scavenger attack on Parliament.” She looked back down at the flowers.

“M-May. The tw-twenty-sixth,” Odin replied, ignoring his stutter and the way his voice shook. Ava looked back up at him in surprise.

“How would you remember that?”

His voice trembled. “M-My parents w-were at Parliament too.” Her eyes widened with shock, and her hand reached out and held his arm at the elbow.

“I’m sorry,” she spoke gently, as though it just happened. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was a l-long time ago.” He sounded, husky; his throat felt tight. It had been years, but finding someone who shared the same pain was hitting a tender nerve inside him, thrumming like a sourly plucked note.

“But it never feels like it, right?” He blinked his eyes from their blurriness. Ava was still holding onto his arm, red hair fanned out behind her as the wind blew. A few flower petals broke free and danced around her face, and he could see how her mouth was a little slanted on one side, how her eyes seemed to wrinkle a little when she smiled. “It feels like it was yesterday.”

She was beautiful.

“Y-Yeah,” he managed to choke out among his confused emotions. His grief for his parents had subsided over the years, but the wound was still festering with regret – however, he never expected someone to share a similar scar. He looked down her collarbone and saw a blotch of gnarled white among her pink skin.

A scar on her _chest_? Odin brought his gaze back up to see Ava was watching the entrance. “We have company,” she muttered.

He turned and saw the Strategos standing at the doors, hands folded behind their back. Ava’s hand dropped from Odin’s arm and they exchanged a look as they began walking back. Rebellious as he was, Odin was from District D in Parliament, and they would keep eyes on him no matter how spotless his record may have been. Not that it was. He had done a few crimes in his day.

“I was wondering where you went off to, Ava.” Six’s tone was warm. “Do you like the gardens?”

She looked back out, a sea of petals and warm, sweet smelling air. “Of course, I love fresh flowers!” She pulled her hair from her face, where the strands hooked on her lip and she sputtered a little. Odin laughed behind his hand and she gave him a pointed, embarrassed look.

“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” they noted aloud fondly. “I was going to ask what your plans were for the rest of the day, Ava.”

She blinked like a doe, slow and uncertain, scarlet eyes so out of place in a sea of blue. “Plans? Oh – no plans… mostly to just, I don’t know, learn my way around here.” She looked up at the Parliament. “It is a _big_ building.”

“F-For _big_ p-propaganda,” Odin muttered, and he almost relished in the angry glare Six shot at him.

“Anyway… I was simply curious as to what you might be doing while I’m at work. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to refer to one of the guards, or a maid.”

“I won’t,” she replied. As Six left, she said aloud “I guess we should head back to our rooms.” She cast one last look at the flowers, and the wind blew again.

Her cascades of scarlet whipped behind her, and she closed her eyes, inhaling the sweet, honeyed scents. For a split second she threw her face up to the sky and sighed, pale throat exposed and kinked mouth pulled into a smile.

Ava turned to Odin and opened her eyes, bright, kind.

He swallowed hard and looked away. “L-Let’s get back.”

As she entered the doors before him, Odin thought something that startled him. “ _She’s worth fighting Six for.”_

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

There was a knock at the door. “Enter,” Six announced while they flicked through their tablet, trying to find any binary glitches in the coding. There were none – the MATCH program looked and operated flawlessly, save the double-MATCH involving Ava. Nevy stepped into the room.

“Miss Ire has requested lunch in her room today,” she explained.

Six nodded, before glancing up and asking “Have you fetched the gardener, yet?”

Nevy stepped aside as an enormously tall man stepped through the door, with shaggy hair and pale green eyes. He glanced anxiously at Nevy before saying “I’m here.”

“You’re Tuls Tenebrose?”

He nodded, hands twisting one of his fingers.

“I have a request to make. You grow plants, correct?” Tuls nodded again, a neutral expression on his face. Six was almost irritated at how placid he looked. “I understand you grow _flowers_.”

Tuls almost perked up. “Yes… I do. Why?”

Six’s eyes glinted. “I have a rather hefty order for you to fill.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava wandered around the long halls, alone. Most doorways had a guard stationed there, and when there wasn’t a guard there was a camera. She would have thought it unnerving, except knowing that someone – whether they wanted to or not – would see if she got lost was almost a relief.

She wasn’t lost, yet. She was beginning to memorize the twists and turns. The statue at the far corner would go to the offices, and the line of beautiful yellow bulb lamps led to the domestic units for the employees. She still didn’t know where the kitchen was, though, and she began to think that leaving before the maids brought her lunch was a bad idea. That would make five meals now, skipped because of tension and poor choices.

She probed her stomach with her hand before sighing. Looking around, she wondered aloud “Where’s… the kitchen…” as she looked, she turned down a corner not yet explored – to find a set of attractive blue velvet stairs and Six’s secretary walking up them carrying a datapad. She was flicking through it idly, and sharp blue eyes narrowed on Ava.

Ava internally crumpled at her cutting gaze. “Ah… I wanted to ask you something-”

“So did I,” the girl interrupted, folding the datapad under one arm and climbing up the last few steps of the stairs. This girl had her almost white hair pulled into a ponytail, and pushed up glasses a little too thick on the bridge of her nose. “Miss Ire, right?”

Ava nodded hesitantly, blinking rapidly, the panic from a few days ago clutching her spine till she was standing straight. Six could be venomous, but they could lace it with enough charm that their insults were aches. This girl, Ava had no doubt whatever she was about to say would sting like a rapier.

“I’m Prudith Loone, Six’s personal assistant,” she introduced with the slightest curtsy. “And I’m beginning to wonder something about you.” Prudith took a step towards Ava, and the redhead automatically took a step back. “Do you understand the _magnitude_ of this situation?”

“Wh…What?”

“The MATCH system. Oh yes, to you it must be like a dream come true, coming and staying at Parliament while the Strategos treats you while you’re worth something.” Prudith planted her hands on her hips, sneering. “Your little dream vacation comes with a price. The longer you’re here the longer the MATCH system is not operational, but you’re doing what? Exploring the Parliament? The MATCH system is what keeps TiTAN together, and you’re over here, just flaunting it.”

Ava felt her gut twist and churn – and her nails bit into her palms as hands clenched into fists, stomach white-hot and ears burning. Anger was already a thinly veiled doorway in her mind, and these days it took such little effort to push her over the threshold.

“Who do you think you are?” Ava’s tone was hard, almost accusatory. “You act like I can change what happened, like I’m one of your special little operational gurus who can fix this and I’m not. You have the nerve to blame _me_ for this problem? Like _I’m_ the source of your trouble?” She took a step forward, her voice elevating in volume.

Prudith had been expecting a meek creature, but was faced with something far different – a cornered predator with a will to live.

A bad combination.

“If you should be blaming _anyone_ for this problem, blame the MATCH system itself! Or better yet,” she shoved her face closer to Prudith’s, stress of her situation and lack of eating breaking apart her self-control “blame _Strategos Six_!”

Prudith’s face contorted into anger, and she barked “The General is perfect! You can’t possibly understand!”

“Oh, but don’t I?” Ava took a step away from Prudith, about to head down the stairs. “If everything was perfect, I wouldn’t even _be_ here.”

It felt good to let off some steam, especially at someone who was being rude to her. Ava knew she would regret it later – there were a lot of aspects about herself coming into light that she would regret later – but for now, she felt good. The dizzying static in her ears from her outburst was causing excitement and adrenaline to fizzle through her blood, and she felt light on her feet.

That is, until someone shoved her by her shoulder-blades and her feet twisted around, causing her to tumble down the stairs. Luckily, she managed to roll onto her back for most of the damage, her spine getting jabbed with the steps and scrapes along her skin, but that wasn’t the worst part.

As she tumbled, seeing for a split second Prudith dash away in fury or panic, she smacked into somebody. Something hot spilled over her shoulder and down her front as her head knocked into someone’s legs.

“Oh my – Ava?! Oh no!”

Her world was spinning and she throbbed from scrapes and hot liquid alike, but someone helped her sit up. It was the blonde-haired maid from earlier, with such pretty green eyes. Ava closed her eyes and rubbed her head, her skirt heavy and damp as her eyes refocused.

“Are you okay?”

She looked up at the maid, tears pricking her eyes as she responded “I fell,” weakly. She should’ve known better than to try to exact any sort of revenge – Prudith certainly hadn’t deserved that outburst, but Ava was weak, and tired, and hungry, and altogether felt like a wretch.

“You poor girl, here, let me help you up.” The Maid had been carrying tea, and the platter had been knocked from her hands when Ava rammed into her. The hot tea was now settling into Ava’s clothes, staining it. Her arms throbbed from scrapes, bright red streaks up her arms. “I can get you a fresh set of clothes,” the maid offered. “I’m Ranunculae, if you remember still?”

Ava nodded numbly, mumbling “I remember.”

Ranunculae smiled softly. “It’s okay, girl. Chin up!” She gently curled a finger under Ava’s chin and pulled her face up away from her feet. “I _did_ see what happened. Prudith pushed you, didn’t she?”

Ava nodded, sighing. “I deserved it, for talking back to her like that…”

The maid laughed, throwing her head back. She smelled like sunflower seeds, the scent of soil sticking to the back of Ava’s throat. “I’m sure Prudith could use some lip. That girl would be dangerous as an elite if she pulled that stick out of her ass and started beating people with it.”

Ava made a coughing noise at the maid’s harsh language. “Wha-?”

“Prudith is a bit stuck up, being under Six. She likes to think of herself as a higher up, and so she can be a bit oppressive.”

Ava felt better as Ranunculae spoke to her, though the tea was growing cold on her clothes and making them itch.

“First of all, we’ll need to clean you up! I have just the dress, trust me! I’ll also help patch up your arms and knees, poor dear – you’ll be fine.” Ranunculae smiled sunnily, tugging her aside towards the infirmary. “I thought you might have been burned with the tea…”

“Ah, no, I’m pretty resilient. I don’t burn easily anymore…”

Ranunculae pulled her into the infirmary and cleaned her arms and knees with a swab, and pulled out a few band-aids, patching her up. Ava felt like she was five again, throbbing knees, burns aching with how fresh they were, debris in the air and the smell of parliament blinding her-

She blinked the memory away and looked down. “You really didn’t have to,” she told Ranunculae.

“Nonsense, I love spoiling guests! Especially ones as sweet as you.” The maid put away the supplies and helped Ava up to her feet, adhesive bandages making her skin pull. “I’ve got a dress that should be your size too.”

“Ranunculae-”

“Stop worrying,” she insisted. “I’m here to help, and help I will!” Ava smiled shyly as the maid began escorting her back out.

No one noticed Strategos Six ducking to the side as the girls walked away.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Prudith Loone, for the very first time, was called into Six’s office.

Not for an appointment, not for notes or to take errands.

Specifically, _her_.

She felt her heart beat harder and harder as she crossed the threshold of their doorway. She had been in Six’s office a million times, she’d filed the cabinets on multiple occasions, but today it was different.

Maybe, Six would tell her, finally, that maybe they liked her? Maybe, they had feelings for her?

Six was flicking through their datapad, beautiful neon eyes on the screen when she entered. They were wearing their white suit, as usual, but it was laundered better, no wrinkles or loose ends. They were so kempt, so militaristic that she couldn’t help but take a moment to be impressed. Prudith squared her shoulders and announced “Strategos, I’m here.”

They flicked their gaze up for only a moment before looking back down at the pad. “Prudith. Would you agree, that you are one of the best employee’s here at the Parliament?”

“Yes sir,” she agreed, chest swelling with pride.

“Would you say you were somewhat of an ambassador to TiTAN?”

“I _could_ be,” she responded, trembling in excitement. _This is it!_ She thought frantically. _Six is finally going to-_

“Then what is _this_ , exactly?” They turned the datapad around. It was playing footage from one of the security cameras. She took a step closer, blinking and pushing her glasses up.

Her gut twisted as though she was stabbed.

It was footage of herself arguing with miss Ire, and then her rashly pushing the girl down the stairs. She had been so surprised by her own rage that she ran away, not wanting to be tattled on.

Prudith swallowed coldly, the excitement replaced by sheer panic.

Six’s external expression had not altered in the slightest. “So, Miss Loone…” They rarely used her last name. “…What was it that warranted pushing _my_ MATCH down a flight of stairs?”

She swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. She clicked her teeth and blinked rapidly, sweat dripping down her brow.

“I’m waiting.” Their voice was aggressive. She exhaled sharply.

“M-Miss Ire said that it was due to – to _your_ imperfections that the MATCH system was malfunctioning.” The terror in her body was making her taut, and her throat felt like it was closing – swallowing, she repressed the urge to wince at how sharp it felt.

Six chuckled, looking back at the pad. “That’s true, I suppose. My error is the reason she is here now.” They snapped up abruptly, eyes glaring, brows furrowed. “My assumption is that you took offense on my behalf.”

Prudith nodded, muttering “Something like that… yes.”

Six stood, circling their desk. They approached her, steps absolute and deadly. Prudith backed up until her back hit the wall, and Six leaned an arm on one side of her.

She could see the smoothness of her face, the way their hair waved on either side of their head, she could smell their cologne.

They glared.

“Never touch my MATCH _ever again_.” They chuckled dryly. “Or you _will_ pay the consequences. _Understood_?”

Their eyes had never been so cold before.

“Yes sir,” she managed to choke out, knees and hands trembling, glasses tilting off her nose as she sputtered in panic.

They backed away and went back to their chair. “Leave.” When she was frozen in place, they shot her a look, snow-blue hair going on end. “ ** _Leave_**.”

She bolted out the door, heart aching as tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. What rotten, horrible luck! She went around a corner and pressed her back against the wall, sliding down onto the ground and crying softly.

Six was supposed to be _her_ MATCH. They were supposed to notice her after years of hard work and dedication, not after she lost her temper the _one_ time.

She wiped her eyes and hiccupped, feeling foolish. It was silly to believe they would ever notice a nobody like her.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Prudith looked up, pushing her glasses back up on her nose.

Ava stood in front of her, wearing a red sundress. It tickled her knees, and she was leaned over slightly, her hair poured over one shoulder as she searched Prudith’s face. She had band-aids on her arms and legs, where they were scraped. “What happened?”

“Don’t pretend to care,” Prudith spat, looking away “Did you tell Six about what happened? Did you want to get me humiliated?”

“Wha-? I haven’t told Six anything!” she insisted, glowering a little. “I just saw you crying and wanted to know what the matter was, that’s all.”

“Why would you care,” Prudith mumbled, curling in on herself more. “I don’t need your pity.” Ava shrugged and sat down beside her, crossing her legs while they both sat on the thick carpeted hall. Prudith scooted away and pouted.

Ava pulled her hair over her shoulder and played with the ends of it, braiding the edges and sighing into her knees. “Hey, ah, Miss Loone?” Prudith didn’t move, still determined to ignore the redhead beside her. “I’m really sorry about yelling at you.”

Prudith blinked, turning to look at Ava. She was staring at her hair, twisting it in her fingers nervously. “I shouldn’t have been so rude. I know this whole MATCH thing has got to be really frustrating for you, but I promise it is for me too.” Ava looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “I’m worried sick about the animals at the shelter, and my flowers too. I have a feeling Maggie probably forgot to water my herbs in the back room.”

“N-No,” Prudith interrupted uncertainly “It was unprofessional of me to interrogate you as I did… Apologies.” The blonde cocked her head when Ava offered a timid smile. “I’m curious. Who’s Maggie?”

Ava perked up at once. “Magnolia Lacivi! She’s my closest friend.” Ava scrambled to pull out her phone, flicking through her gallery until she pulled up a picture of her and Maggie posing for the camera. This subject she was comfortable with; there was a dull photo-filter to remove the blemishes in the picture, but both the girls were making silly faces in pajamas. Maggie had thick curly hair, bright green.

“Ah… she’s pretty.”

Ava beamed. “Isn’t she? Cuz’ of that she’s always finding a pre-MATCH every other month, I swear.”

Prudith pushed her glasses up, extending her legs. “Pre-MATCH? Ah, you mean like a boyfriend or girlfriend, a non-permanent MATCH.”

“A relationship,” Ava rolled her eyes, mouth pursed to stifle a grin. “We’ve known each-other since like, forever. This picture was taken when we broke in my apartment.”

For the first time, Ava was not a faceless rival, with trivial details that seemed to absorb Six’s attention. Prudith saw her concern over plants and animals, saw pictures with her friends, saw her moving into an obviously small apartment – and Prudith suddenly found herself no longer blaming Ava for the MATCH problem.

“How did you meet Magnolia?” Prudith questioned, feeling significantly more relaxed than earlier. Six’s anger still hurt to think about, it might always hurt – but Ava wasn’t a succubus who stole Six away or anything.

Ava suddenly snapped her face to the side, uncomfortable, hunching over and thumbing through her phone. “Oh. Uhm… Me and Maggie met in an orphanage when both our parents were killed in the last Scavenger attack.”

Prudith instantly regretted bringing it up. “My condolences,” she tried to rectify, and Ava shook her head leisurely.

“It’s fine, it’s fine…” She cleared her throat. “So why were you crying out here? What did Six do?”

Prudith felt the wound of Six’s words sting suddenly, and her eyes ached. “They – uhm – that is, they…”

Ava waited patiently, leaning her face on one of her knees. Prudith’s feelings spilled out.

“They treated me like garbage! I mean I – I understand _why_ , but – after everything I’ve done for them, after everything I’ve sacrificed to at least try and catch their attention, the only reason they talk to me person to person is to scold me! After how much I’ve card for them!” She threw her hands up “I can’t even fathom why they’re so protective of you in the first place, you’re not even their official MATCH yet!”

Ava rubbed her face with her hands, trying to ignore the abruptness of her eruption. “I’m starting to piece this together… Six found out you pushed me down the stairs, and you like Six, and they got mad at you.” Ava looked up at Prudith’s shocked expression. “Am I right?”

“Yes, but _how_ -?”

“You’re not exactly subtle, Miss Loone.” Ava sat up and pulled herself to her feet, dusting her skirt off. There were band-aids on her knees and arms, covering red scrapes from when she had fallen on the stairs. Her skin was blotched pink in areas where the tea spilled on her, but she seemed to care very little about that. “Were you hoping to get Six as your MATCH someday?”

Prudith looked to the side, anxiety creeping up into her gut.

“Wait. When did you put in your MATCH information?”

She swallowed. “I… haven’t.”

Ava’s jaw went slack. “You’re… You’re kidding me, right?”

“Well!” Prudith stood up, despondent and embarrassed “there was a chance I _might_ get matched to Six, but I couldn’t go against the odds! I would most likely get someone else as a MATCH until I could improve myself to their level!”

Ava gawked and slapped a hand against her face. “Miss Loone, you shouldn’t _have_ to improve yourself for _anyone_! And you know Six would never go _matchless_ , they hate that! What were you _doing_?”

Prudith was once again taken aback by the harshness in Ava’s tone. “I can’t help it, Ava, Six is perfect! They’re just – flawless, and so clever and ruthless, just working with them is amazing and-”

Ava put a hand up, massaging her temples. Her inner Maggie began to chug its verbal train at full speed, and she let it. “Hold up there _missy_. Have all you’ve been doing in your time working here is _fawning_ over Six?”

Prudith blinked. “Ah… I wouldn’t call it fawning as much as admiration-”

“Loone. Have you seen at _all_ how Six is?”

Prudith furrowed her brows, crossing her arms. “Excuse me?”

“You know. The way they obsess over something-”

“ _Dedication_ ,” Prudith interrupted.

“-how they’re always working, without breaks-”

“ _Commitment_ to the job,” she insisted.

“-how intense they’ll get all of a sudden?”

“ _Passionate_ , that’s all,” Prudith responded, squaring her shoulders proudly.

Ava groaned into her palm. “Loone, you are romanticizing everything about Six!” The blonde blinked and her shoulders sunk a little. “It’s good to admire someone, even look up to them, but you’re not seeing their flaws at all! It’s good to have a work ethic, but they’re a workaholic! You can tell just by how many outfits they wear!”

Prudith realized she had never seen Six in casuals.

“And yes, they might be passionate, but – Miss Loone, what are Six’s hobbies? You’ve known them for awhile, right?” Ava was almost pleading with her, crossing the distance between them and cupping Prudith’s hands in hers. “What do they do when they’re not working?”

Prudith’s mouth went dry. “I… I have no idea.”

“I mean – I know I’m already overstepping my boundaries, but have you looked for anyone else? Have you been seeing anyone else as someone you might potentially like?”

Prudith kept Ava’s amber gaze for as long as she could, before dropping her eyes to the ground. “…No. No, I haven’t.”

Ava let go of her hands, letting them drop to her sides. “Y’see? You not make your choices so narrow, Loone. You’re working for TiTAN, you should know this.”

Prudith looked to the nearby window and ran her hands down her arms. “Perhaps you’re correct in your prosthesis, but – I’ve been infatuated with Six since I was first assigned as their assistant!” She bit her lips, remembering when she was almost frantically trying to please them, trying to do anything to catch their gaze or get a good word from their lips – but nothing.

“I think Six probably figured out that you like them.” Prudith gave Ava a look of absolute horror, her mouth slightly agape and brows twisted. “I mean – if they’re as insightful as you say they are…”

“Oooh, you must be right!” Prudith buried her fingers in her hair, her ponytail loosening. “What am I to do? I can’t just-”

“You can.” Ava took Prudith by her shoulder, looking her square in the eye. “You are going to stop worshipping Six, you are going to start wearing clothes that express that sharp personality you have, and you are going to be great at it.”

Blue eyes blinked. “When did you get so philosophical?”

Ava laughed, a short rush of air. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve had this conversation with Maggie.” It was true – whenever she had a breakup, which was often, Ava had appointed herself as Maggie’s laughable life coach. At this point, she was just going through the motions – but the thought struck her as cruel and uncaring, so she retracted her hand anxiously.

“You weren’t this plucky when you first came through our doors. What changed?”

Ava shrugged. “Nothing, really. This is the first time you’re talking to me.”

Prudith regarded Ava with a warm expression. “I… think you’re right.” She looked at her wristwatch. “Oh, I have to get back to working. I bet Six is just _loving_ me missing all the calls. What should I tell them? I’ve never been late before.”

Ava smiled brightly. “Tell them – tell them you were getting a change of perspective.”

“…An eyedoctor appointment? That might pass off as feasible.” Ava rolled her eyes and patted Prudith’s shoulder.

“I’ll see you around, Miss Loone.” She began to walk away, her hair swaying as she rocked back and forth.

“Ah – Ava!”

She turned, a tiny smile dancing on her face.

“I’m sorry about pushing you down the stairs,” Prudith stated humbly, her chin ducking into her collarbone.

Ava simply smiled and waved, before continuing to walk away. She took that as an acceptance of her apology, and pushed her glasses up.

Prudith watched her walk away. “ _She’s certainly something else_ ,” she thought as she returned to her office.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin flicked through the channels of the TV, bored. Most of what was being played consisted of history documentaries – no doubt altered – and propaganda. He began to lose hope, laying chest down on the extravagant bed, when familiar scene played on the screen.

“N-No way,” he barked with a laugh “Parliament p-plays L- _Lazerblast_? Th-That movie is the w-worst!”

And Odin loved every horrible minute of it. That movie was so terrible he laughed through every second, every cliché and plot hole, every broken prop and horrible editing clip was his delight.

However, he found sharing this piece of art was better than sitting alone. Thinking on it, he rolled off the bed and opened his door, looking around. There were only the usual guards, and he didn’t care about what they thought when he moved a door over and knocked.

“Come in,” Ava called out. He twisted the handle and entered. Ava was splayed out on her bed, wearing a different outfit from earlier – a crimson sundress, with thick straps and no sleeves. She blinked and sat up. “Ah, Odin. What’re you up to?”

He glanced over at her TV to find her watching a documentary on rabbits. “Ah… Th-There’s this h-hilariously b-bad movie on, and I w-w-was wondering if y-you wou-w-would – uh, if y-you wan-w-wa-a-”

She waited patiently, sweetly, letting him collect his words.

“-if y-you would want to w-watch it w-with me,” he finally finished, face a shy shade of violet.

“What’s it called?”

“L- _Lazerblast_. It’s so b-bad, it’s f-funny.” Ava looked up at the clock on the wall, and put a hand to her stomach. After a moment of contemplation, she tucked her hair behind her ears.

“…Alright then, sure.” She looked a little anxious though, if the way she braided and unbraided her fingers was any indication.

“I p-promise you,” he was already chuckling to himself, hand opening the door so she could step though “It’s s-so bad, you’ll l-love it.”

She followed him back to his room, where she sat on the bed while Odin rolled onto his on his stomach. The TV was playing something like a cinematic outtake, a movie so badly done that took itself so seriously that Ava snorted.

“Is… Is this movie serious?”

“C-Completely.”

She laughed a little. Throughout the movie, as the sun was setting, she occasionally pointed out some of the sillier details, or cracked a joke involving the performer’s bad acting. He enjoyed himself, as the atmosphere was somewhat relaxed as Ava dozed on the bed. He was no extrovert, but he enjoyed quiet company when he had the chance, especially in a situation as surreal as this one.

Odin watched her bob slightly as she tried to watch the movie. Like himself, she must have gotten very little sleep the night before – and he smiled a little when her shoulders bobbled as a particularly stupid scene played.

Out of everyone he had ever met, Odin hated the MATCH system the most. He was planning on being a matchless pair, like his parents before him – but he _did_ like Ava. If the system had paired them up, and he really did like her… Maybe for once he could legally do something. The MATCH system would support them, and he wouldn’t have to worry about being ostracized anymore.

He tapped her foot and she blinked awake. “A-Ava?” She rubbed her eyes. “Y-You can go b-back to your r-room and sleep, y’know. Th-This movie will pl-play again some other time.”

She nodded and yawned, sitting up. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Odin…”

The sun was setting, and he flicked on the lights when he opened the door as she stepped out. “Y-Yeah. Sl-Sleep well.”

Ava nodded, a tiny smile pursing her lips, and she went to her room. He watched the last flash of scarlet before her door closed, and he sighed breathily.

He turned to go back into his room to see Strategos, arms folded and glaring at him. “What was Ava doing in your room?”

“W-Watching a movie.” Odin leaned on the doorway, a wicked smirk pulling up his cheeks. “D-Does that b-bother you?”

“Not as much as your stutter does.” Six tossed their head. “If Ava isn’t awake, dinner is canceled from the dining room tonight. You’ll have to request a meal from the maids.”

“M-Meal not worth it if A-Ava isn’t there?”

Six straightened their face mask, pulling on their cuffs and straightening their suit as they stepped away. “Of course.”

Odin glared at Six’s form walking away before closing the door.

For some reason, the next thought to pass through Odin’s head was strangely protective, competitive, and a variation of childish:

_You’re on._

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava blinked awake.

Had she fallen asleep?

Her eyes felt heavy, and her fingers tingled with the numbness that accompanied poor rest. When she shifted her feet, sitting up in her darkened room, her left foot went awash with violent pinpricks. Her foot fell asleep.

She sighed and stood, stomping her left foot as she went, trying to banish the aching sensation. She flushed a moment later, thinking how silly she must have appeared.

Ava went to the bathroom, and flicked on the lights, flinching at the brightness of it. She splashed her face with water and yawned again.

_Why did I wake up?_

Her stomach growled angrily, and she recalled her previous fasting of food due to circumstances or tension. Six had said that she could go to the kitchen whenever she wished.

Slipping her shoes back on, she opened the door. Parliament was darker at night, the hall lights set to dim – and the entire place was drenched in a honey color from the yellow bulbs, all the previously blue lights now glowing a greenish hue.

She stepped out and noted how alien she looked in the lighting, her usually tan skin a chromatic purple. She shuddered and began creeping down the halls, quiet and lightheaded.

If she could find them, she would have asked a guard for direction.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“Today’s been tense,” Daniel noted as he popped a can of soda, taking a deep drink. He’d need the sugary caffeine for the night shift.

“Yeah,” Nevy noted as she opened the employee fridge, stocked with everything except alcohol. She rubbed her temples and handed a simple energy drink to Fira, who was in desperate need of a shot. “It’s been way too high strung now that Odin and Six have their sights on Ava.”

“It has been pretty bad, but it’ll blow over.”

They all turned as Prudith walked in, her hair down, no longer tight against her scalp. She also had her restrictive jacket over one arm as she rifled through the fridge for a cooled bottle of water, twisting the top off and about to take a drink when she noticed everyone staring. “What?”

Gev replied with his ever-steady voice “We’ve never seen you with your hair down, is all. Planning on relaxing?”

Prudith shrugged and closed the door with her foot. Another guard came in and she moved aside as they passed to get some sugar for their coffee. “I suppose so. I had a change of perspective, is all.”

She took a sip of the water. “Have you all spoken to Ava yet? It does wonders for your health.”

Nevy smothered a giggle under her palm. “Oh yeah, we had a little conversation earlier. You wouldn’t believe what the Strategos did this morning!” As Nevy opened her mouth to recall the room arrangements, the door squeaked open.

“I – _oh_.”

The guards and maids all turned to see Ava staring shakily in the doorway. She blinked nervously and blurted “I – I’ll go, I’m sorry, I got lost, I didn’t-”

“Ava,” Prudith asked as she put her drink down “What are you doing up? It’s late.”

Ranunculae stood and urged Ava through the door. “And you’re pale as death, are you feeling okay?”

In the light, they could all see she was blinking sluggishly, her skin pale and her movements unsure. Dark lines circled under her eyes like bruises, and altogether, she looked like a wreck. “I was hungry,” she muttered. “I missed dinner.”

“That’s right,” Nevy snapped as she recalled how dinner was cancelled. “I also couldn’t get ahold of you during lunch.”

“Didn’t you give your breakfast to Odin?” Fira asked as she took another sip of her drink before setting it aside and looking at the girl curiously.

Ava nodded.

Ranunculae sat her down while Nevy pulled out some crackers and a drink, urging Ava to eat something. As she munched on the crackers and drank the juice, all the guards and maids who had only heard of the bet offhand watched her curiously from the corners of their eyes.

“So Ava,” Ranunculae asked “do you really grow flowers?”

Ava smiled a little, her rosy complexion returning at the mention of one of her passions. “Oh yes. I grow a lot of things, but flowers are my favorite.” She looked down at her hands, cradling the flaky crackers. “I love poppies best. They’re so pretty.”

Another guard asked “You grow other things? Like what?”

She looked back up and smiled happily at the discussion being about her plants. “Oh, herbs, vegetables… none of my fruit plants are big enough to provide any yet, but they’re getting there!”

Another maid came close. “Are they synthetic?”

“No _no_ ,” she replied as she shook her head “none of them are. Synthetics aren’t the same.”

“Synthetics are engineered to react to and respond like a real plant,” Fira stated, a little more interested “and to contain the same nutritional levels, just at a higher processing rate. How are they not the same?”

“Synthetics carry a waxy aftertaste, and the smell is never right.” She booped her own nose. “I can pick up fake flowers anywhere, the smell is almost bitter!”

Another guard crept up behind her. “What about the vegetables that you grow? I’ve heard that District C water is contaminated, and anything that grows is toxic.”

Ava scoffed, looking up to see the guard. “That’s _total_ bull. If it was toxic, how could anyone live there?”

“Filtration?” Gev suggested, sitting backwards on his chair to talk to her.

“Then we’d also filter the water that grows our produce! People in District C aren’t stupid,” Ava continued, taking another sip of her juice, “we’re just not as better-off as those in District A. Yeah, we have run-down buildings and vandalizing and the occasional robbery, but we don’t live in squalor. And neither do those in District D.” She gestured around her to the small group of maids and guards gathered around her, a cracker between her fingers “You should honestly get that kind of thinking out of your heads.”

Unnoticed, her hand was trembling.

Prudith shot Daniel a smug smirk, taking a chug of her water. Daniel was staring at Ava with a wide grin, wide enough to see the whiteness under his mustache. Gev looked honestly impressed for the first time, and Fira was still speaking with Ava.

“So you eat what you grow, then?”

“Most of the time,” Ava continued, polishing off the last of the crackers and juice, looking significantly more rejuvenated. “Sometimes I give them to friends who appreciate the taste and the organics of it. Sometimes, I’ll give them to others so that they can grow some of their own.”

One guard asked “If your MATCH is the Strategos, will you move all your plants over here?”

Ava blinked and her cheeks flushed. “Ah – that is, uhm… yeah. I mean!” she sat up straighter in her seat “if I’m even their MATCH, I don’t think this place needs any more non-synthetics. You have a whole garden outside.”

There was a chorus of denial.

“What, no way, bring your plants!”

“I’d love to have some real cucumber to work with!”

“If you put so much work into growing them, you should totally bring them here!”

Ava blinked in surprise, her mouth pursing and her hands going to her chest. “Oh, I… I didn’t think anyone here would like them,” she admitted, looking at the blue armor and starched uniforms.

“Why would you think that?” Prudith inquired as she sat beside Fira, popping her back and looking to Ava for an explanation.

“I always just thought that with all the over-the-top technology here, you wouldn’t want anything traditional,” she looked sheepish, her hair beginning to loosen from over her shoulders and draping in front of her face.

“Well,” Daniel leaned over, echoing her own words “you need to get that thought outta your head! I love the smell of books.”

Prudith nodded. “Books… or even, a cotton dress, real cotton.” There was a few noises of agreement as guards and maids nodded.

“Oh!” Nevy clapped her hands. “How about _fresh_ carrots? That smell and taste, right out of the soil, no packaging!”

There was a louder group agreement, about how it felt and tasted. Ava twiddled her thumbs and smiled to herself gently. No one spotted how she squeezed her hands together anxiously – and if they had known her, they would’ve heard how forced her replies were.

“I guess I really shouldn’t have assumed. I’m sorry.”

The hour whittled away as guards and maids and other employees asked her questions about where she came from, what she liked, how different things were, and does District C even have shampoo?

In the back, there were two jars. One was labeled with an S, for Six. The other OA, for Odin Arrow. They each had crumpled bills and a few coins and credits, for the bet for who Ava would be with.

Nevy noticed that as the night progressed, they began to fill up.

“I should really get to bed,” Ava noted when she looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. There was a cacophony of rejection at the very thought, and she smiled again that they actually liked her company.

“I can walk you,” Daniel laughed a little “so you won’t get lost again.”

“Really? I would appreciate it-”

“ ** _Prudith!_** ”

The room went silent, the atmosphere taut and tense. Prudith sat up, glowering, while the Guards slipped their helmets on – previously cajoled by Ava to take them off – and maids stood, folding their hands over their fronts in a formal position.

Strategos Six stepped in, looking foul and moody as a storm and twice as loud.

“I thought I told you to hand those data lines in before-” they cut off short, hair sticking out at odd angles and suit wrinkled, eyes going wide as they spotted scarlet hair. “- _Ava_? What in the world are you doing here?”

“I got lost,” she mumbled, slouching and looking the other way. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything important…”

“Oh no,” they smoothed instantly, raking their gloved fingers though their hair and once again adorning their charming mask of courtesy “you could never be an interruption. May I walk you back to your room?” They offered out an elbow, and Ava looked at the gesture, back to their face, and back to their arm, before tentatively hooking her fingers around the crux of their elbow.

She turned as she was walking out, waving.

“Bye Prudith, have a good night! Bye Daniel, bye Gev and Fira, bye Ranunculae! Bye Nevy! Bye everyone!” They all waved back at her, and Six had the most astonished expression on their face as the door shut.

There was a brief moment of silence.

A guard piped up. “She’s going to be Matched to the Strategos.”

As the debate began, the betting pool larger than ever, Prudith sipped her drink. She threw the bottle away, standing and going towards the jar labeled S, and began unscrewing the lid. They watched as she pulled out the single penny she had dropped into the jar, and put it in her pocket.

“Taking it back?” Daniel asked, blinking.

“So you think Odin’s going to win?” Nevy asked. Prudith didn’t reply as she pulled down another empty canister, and scribbled an A on the front.

“I think Ava will go with whomever she chooses, not whomever can somehow bully her into a relationship,” Prudith announced, before dropping the penny into the crudely labeled can.

“You’re such a sourpuss,” one maid remarked, but all eyes lingered on the canister, before the clock chimed and work began once more.

 


	3. breaking point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for self harm and anxiety attacks

Ava could feel the pressure of the bed underneath her, the coolness of the blankets over her. She could smell the slightly bitter and chemical scent of the clean linen, and the blue hue of the lights through her eyelids.

She rolled over.

She didn’t want to get up.

Last night had been utterly draining. As nice as it was to have people enjoy her company, she had honestly been overwhelmed. There were people surrounding her, strangers or those she only barely knew, asking her a lot of questions that she hadn’t been prepared to answer. She wanted dinner, not an interrogation.

She was so tired.

Ava tugged on a lock of her flashing red hair, wilted and flat as a dying flower between her fingers. She didn’t want to be cross-examined and prodded again, she didn’t want to be here. She just wanted to stay inside and breathe, stay in her room and do nothing but lay on the carpet floor and make crop circles in the fibers with her fingers as she waited for the day to pass.

But she couldn’t do that. Ava was obligated to come as courtesy, as this whole thing was sort of her fault anyway.

She didn’t want to be here. She missed her flowers.

Ava sighed and tried to sit up, but lacked the motivation, which only resulted in her shifting back onto her back and staring at the ceiling tiles. If she squinted, she could make out vague shapes in the random etches of the stone. One looked like a rabbit. Another looked like a shoe.

She should really get up. Six would be worried, and Odin, maybe… maybe he would be just more confused. This wasn’t his fault either, he felt awkward in this place too.

If anything, she should get up to help him feel less alone and to make sure Six didn’t worry.

She stared at the ceiling.

Minutes passed.

She watched dust motes settle.

She watched the light from the rising sun slowly reach upwards, leaving brighter streaks of light filtering between the edges of her curtains.

She should really get up.

Sluggishly, Ava managed to pull herself up, pushing the blankets aside and rubbing her eyes. She rested her elbows and on her knees and rested a moment.

She didn’t want to be here.

She didn’t want to be in the same place her parents were killed.

Ava pulled herself to her feet, heavy as bricks, and she meandered over to the dresser. What should she wear? …Did she really care?

She pulled out a random shirt, a tee that had paint splatter from an accident when she was painting one of her walls, and a pair of jeans with ripped, stringy holes that she used during work. She might regret dressing so carelessly later, but for the moment, she didn’t care.

She got dressed and slipped on her shoes without socks, slapping the back of her neck with anxiety as she stepped out the door. A few guards greeted her, but she shied away. She didn’t have the energy for a pleasant conversation, or keeping up the chipper façade while she was so incredibly nervous in this place, while also trying to avoid Six’s games.

Ava stepped into the halls and walked. The rug was soft, the tiles waxed and the windows open to show the morning sun. When she was younger, this place was so much bigger, so much scarier, so much more for adventure. She remembered holding onto her mother’s hand as they walked up the steps, and how her mother whispered to her about how construction was going, don’t mind the protestors outside, remember the vending machine is broke so don’t ask about it – she remembered a lot from her time as a child in this place, but it never ended well.

She shook the memories from her mind and walked into the elevator up, pressing the keys before anyone could join her. The silence of the small space she was in was almost relaxing, the quiet hum of the hydraulics bringing her up. She almost wished the doors didn’t open, but they did, and the elevator eased to a stop as the metal showed the hall ahead of her.

It seemed such a long way. It was such a long hall.

Couldn’t she just shut the elevator doors and sit for a little bit? Just long enough for her to get her energy back?

Of course not.

She managed to convince herself to enter the breakfast hall, where she knew Six would be sitting, and waiting for her. They waited for her, and spoke to her kindly, and that was nice. That was good. But Six was manipulative by nature it seemed, so she could never really seem to relax.

A maid opened the door for her, and Ava blinked as she could see the table in front of her, a platter of food set aside as Six was standing towards the windows. They turned, and she could see their eyes squint as they smiled at seeing her, as though they cared. All at once the expression dropped and they looked at her outfit.

“Are you planning on working today?” they asked in a confused tone, gliding around the table to pull a chair out for her. “Your outfit is certainly… different.”

Ava closed her eyes a moment.

_I want to go home._

She sat down and shrugged wordlessly, before beginning to eat the fruit salad they had set out. It tasted good, but… she was so tired. If she had more energy, she could enjoy this more.

“Did you sleep well?”

_Not really._

“I see you haven’t done anything with your hair today.”

_I was too tired to do anything with it._

“Are you planning on visiting the gardens again today?”

_They’re the only thing here worth visiting._

Ava did not say any of these things loud, either because it would be deemed rude or because she was too tired. Instead, to each question she mumbled out a half-hearted reply and shrugged, looking at her food. She knew if she made a comment, it might be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and the last thing she wanted to do was have another angry outburst.

“Uhm…” she looked at the empty seat across from her. “Is Odin coming?”

If she didn’t know any better, they flinched at his name. They recovered a moment after, saying in a tight tone “I’m not certain. Perhaps he’s going to stay in his room today.”

For some reason, Ava felt betrayed. One of the reasons she pulled herself out of bed was to ensure Odin didn’t feel awkward.

Her eyes dropped to her food.

She really should get up.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Six watched her neutral expression focus back onto her food. She was tired, and that was to be expected, but this was almost oppressive. Was she getting sick, maybe? She had shown this sort of introvert-like tendencies, but this was taking it a bit too far. Maybe she had really just made herself tired.

“In any case,” they continued, kneading their fingers together “at least we have some time to talk together.”

Ava made a humming noise as she looked up with a mouthful of food. After chewing she swallowed hard and asked in a faint voice “What?”

They laughed breathily into their mask. “I’m saying I like to talk to you. Is there something wrong with that?”

She looked down at her lap and strands of her hair framed her face. She blinked rapidly, the bags under her eyes dulled from the shadows across her cheeks. “I… I guess not. I mean!” She sat up straighter, her fingers going taut around the utensils “I sort of like talking to you too.”

“Sort of?”

“When you’re not playing manipulation games,” she replied without hesitation. They flinched and drew back, their spine popping and their posture going into a more professional pose as they squared their shoulders.

“What are you implying?”

Ava looked back to her food, but wasn’t eating. “I’m saying that you keep trying to make it seem like I’m here of my own will, but I’m not. I’m just here until you figure out what’s wrong with MATCH.”

“Or until you’re my Match,” they quipped. Her face flushed.

“Or that, yeah… but still.” She looked up at them, her face pale from fatigue but her eyes bright with a restrained ferocity that made a shiver creep down their spine. “You have to stop trying to manipulate me, Six. I won’t play those games. I won’t let you.”

They couldn’t help but sigh, a quiet rush between their lips as their eyelids fluttered. “You’re a marvel.”

A blush faintly dusted across her cheeks. “You’re not-! You’re not answering me, Six.”

“It’s in a scorpion’s nature to sting,” they replied smoothly. “I will do anything in my power to make you mine.” The words were nothing but a purr, soft and muttered. Ava cocked her head, her brows cinching in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Six blinked. “I-”

The door slammed open, clacking against the wall it was thrown against. Odin was standing there, holding a box in both arms. His foot slowly lowered to the ground – it was evident he had kicked the door open. How rude.

Six crumpled a napkin in their palm. They were just talking to her, alone, finally getting through to her, when that atrocity of a person had to walk in.

Where _was_ he?

“Nice of you to show up,” they announced, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Out getting a smoke?”

Odin scoffed and stepped inside. “H-Hardly.” Maybe Six’s eyes were playing tricks, but his expression softened once it laid on Ava. Odin didn’t sit down but thrust the box out towards Ava. “H…Here.”

She looked between the box and his face. “For… me?”

He nodded, and Six noticed the darkening hue on his face, the way his eyes darted aside. They furrowed their brows. This wasn’t good at all.

Ava took the box carefully and it set it on her lap. “The lid has holes,” she observed aloud as she began to lift the top. “You know, at the shelter, when we got an animal they came in… boxes… like this…” her voice trailed off as she stared, her eyes widening.

Her entire face lit up with pure delight.

Six was staggered. What could have possibly caused such a switch in emotions for her? A moment ago she had been almost _ill_ with a foul mood, but now her countenance was completely aglow.

Ava curled a hand into the box and lifted up a solitary, very tiny, _bunny_.

Six blinked.

“What.”

She laughed aloud and brought the tiny pest to her bosom. “It’s a rabbit! I love rabbits, I’ve always wanted to have one as a pet but I could never find one – you need to be in at least District B to have enough to purchase a pet,” she stroked between its ears, and sniffed her face delicately.

“I s-saw you w-watching a documentary ab-about them,” Odin muttered, scuffing his foot on the floor “and s-since we’re in D-District A… I th-thought you’d app-ap-apprec-cia-“ he huffed “ _like_ it.”

“I like it very much,” she replied softly, the creature nuzzling under her throat. It was very small, suggesting that it might have been a newborn, but Six recalled that TiTAN had mastered genetic engineering years ago. There was probably an entire breed of tiny rabbits. As though Ava was curious too, she asked “Is it a baby? Should I buy some sort of formula for-” she inspected it a moment “-her?”

“N-No,” Odin pulled the nearby chair aside with his foot and plopped down. “TiTAN bred these to be s-small. It’s full gr-grown.”

She blinked wide scarlet eyes and scrunched her nose. “Wha-? How does that even work?”

Six didn’t like where this was going. Odin had purchased Ava a gift, and a thoughtful one, too. She obviously liked it, enough to brighten her earlier disposition.

Odin smiled a little. “Th-The same w-way if w-works with us. D-Do you know wh-why my hair is black?”

Six replied curtly “Because your brain is full of shoe polish and it’s leaking.”

Odin’s gaze went feral and he jerked up as though to stand and fight, if he hadn’t stood up so quickly he banged his knee on the metal of the table. The pain sobered him and jostled the table enough to startle Six, so he sat back down.

“…A-Anyway,” he cleared his throat while Ava glanced nervously between the two of them “it’s all g-genes. Wh-Which one’s are recessive and d-dominant m-make up a p-person’s looks. If y-your mom had r-red hair, th-that’s probably why you’ve g-got red hair too.”

“So how does it work with _rabbits_?” she asked, holding the tiny bunny up. It made a squeaking noise.

Six leaned forward and smiled under their mask. “It’s _breeding_. They take the smallest rabbit of the group and breed it with another small rabbit, and another, and another…” They traced a fingertip along the edge of a glass of water, untouched. “…until they have the perfect little rabbit.”

“Oh,” she looked down at the creature “like a manipulated evolution.”

“Exactly,” they replied with an inkling of pride in their voice. “However, TiTAN or not, a rabbit is unfit for Parliament hallways.”

Ava held the rabbit closer to her collarbone. “Uhm… I’d like to keep her, please…”

Six chuckled deeply. “Don’t be ridiculous, I won’t take something so small from its new mother. However, I would implore you to at least keep the, er, _pet_ in your room.” Ava’s smile returned, but it was brightened tenfold. “I’ll send for someone to get it a kennel of some sort.”

“Thank you, Six!” She turned and waved Odin closer. He blinked and leaned forward.

Six felt their entire molecular structure turn to fire as Ava pecked a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you,” she told him softly, holding her cargo close “I know you didn’t have to. Thank you.” With that remark she stood and made for the door.

Six didn’t realize they were bending a fork between their fingers.

Ava was theirs.

Odin’s interference continued to persist.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Gev smacked a hand to his helmet. “You’ve _got_ to be shitting me. Odin really does go play with bunnies.”

Daniel stifled a grin and looked away.

“So what, is he gonna get her flowers next?”

Daniel blinked and shook his head. “Didn’t you hear? _Strategos_ already got her some.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava stared through the doorway of her room. Her new pet sniffed at her face curiously.

She couldn’t help but stare.

Wall to wall, over the bookcase and across the edges of the floor, along the windowsill, and through the curtain hoops, they sat.

Dozens of flowers.

Everywhere.

“What is all this?” she asked breathily, surrounded by their pure smells and dazzling colors. All different kinds, wildflowers, sunflowers, lilacs, lilies, milkweed, devil’s daisy – so many kinds!

“Six bought them for you,” someone in the hallway replied. She turned, expecting a maid or one of the guards, but found herself face to face with a massive mountain of a man. His red hair curled in fluttering locks, his bright green eyes almost alien. He had a scar down his cheek.

“Who are you?” she asked. She might have been scared, if he wasn’t smiling so gently.

“My name is Tuls,” he replied softly. “I am the gardener.”

“Ah.” She looked around her room, where all the flowers lay scattered. Some petals drifted from the pristine bulbs, fluttering to the floor. “So you grew all these?”

“Yes.” There was a flash of remorse on his face, but it was hard to tell with the way his neutral expression made his entire form seem glum.

Ava pulled up a few wildflowers. “Wait a moment, Tuls…” Her hands began to twist and knot and split the stems with nimble fingers. After what only seemed a moment, she produced a crown of flowers. “I used to make thse with my mom when I was little,” she mumbled. “Here.”

One of his gigantic hands took it gently. “For me?”

She turned back to her rabbit, who had begun occupying itself by sniffing the flora on the bed and rubbing its face in them. “Yeah. You grew these flowers, y’know? So it’s gotta be rough seeing them all here…”

He fastened the circlet above his temples and smiled. “You have kindness in your voice.”

She blinked as she looked over her shoulder at him from where he leaned in the doorway.

“I did not expect that.”

Ava sat on her bed and her feet dangled just above the floor. Her room smelled of flowers, and now she desperately wanted nothing more than to sit on the rug floor with her new pet and lay in peace. “Well, what did you expect?”

“Someone with more… fire. Someone _sharp_.”

Her eyes went to her knees, and she replied very softly “Why would you think that, I wonder?”

He did not enter her room, but lingered in the doorway. “You carry with you a similar illusion that this place has.” She cocked her head, listening carefully. “You cannot truly be as perfect as you appear to be. You are sweet and kind, and love flowers and animals – but there is more, isn’t there?”

She gulped and her fingernails bit into her blankets.

“Those who live in the other Districts undergo hardship, this I know. I used to live in District D, but my abilities were… sought out, just as you were sought out.” He touched one of the flowers of the crown on his head. “Six searched for you- not _you_ , specifically, but for someone to...”

“Someone to what?”

Tuls did not meet her gaze. Instead, he only said “This place is powerful, when it comes to its illusions. When those fantasies are challenged, they will attack.”

Ava thought briefly of the anger on Prudith’s face when she called out Six, how someone so restrained easily pushed her down the stairs. She remembered the way Six prickled when she told them not to try and weave a lie about the cage she was in. She felt a chill in her stomach, worming like an icy serpent.

“This place is dangerous, and the illusions here have been taking your disguise as fact.”

She glowered. “What are you _getting_ to?”

“When you reveal the truth about yourself, this place will challenge that. This place will demand that you hide back behind your lies.” Tuls sighed breathily and looked down the hall. Ava stood, the bed popping back into place as she neared the doorway close enough to see what he was staring at.

He was watching maid Ranunculae, with a dreadful _want_ on his face.

“Do not hide. For your sake, and the sake of those whom you will come to adore most,” he replied softly, morose.

Ava slowly nodded her head, trying to digest his words. “I’m not really sure how to reply,” she said aloud “so I’ll just say thank you, if that’s okay?”

Tuls only nodded, and for his own comfort, he left her. Ava stroked her rabbit again, who was tuckered out from the previous excitement of a new owner and new smells. Ava ran her fingers over a few flowers, feeling their soft texture, the dew that rolled down their petals, when she thought of something.

She picked up a few white roses and a handful of irises. White would go well in snow blue hair, and the lush purple of the irises would look splendid in hair as dark as Odin’s.

Carefully, with a small furry body breathing against her leg, she began winding stems together.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin wasn’t intimidated.

Especially with how charmingly _irritated_ Six looked.

“How did you manage to scrape the money together to buy her that thing, Arrow?” Six’s arms were folded as they tapped a foot on the tile floor.

“I d-don’t have to t-tell you that, General.” Odin stood and pushed his chair back, baring his teeth in a grin. “B-Bit upset th-that I got Ava a g-gift? H-Hadn’t thought of th-that, huh?”

Six forced a laugh. “Hardly. Ava has a gift from me in her room, which is no doubt the reason of her delayed return. But you have somehow purchased something that is expensive for most, and _impossible_ for your kind to get.”

Odin planted a hand on the table between them. “M-My _kind?”_

Six hissed under their breath. “You _lower_ breeds.” Odin shoved the table aside, and the various plates and silverware smashed to the ground. Shards of glass spun across the floor and the box Odin had brought the rabbit in was crushed under the table.

He ran forward and took a handful of Six’s collar, demanding “S-Say it to m-my _fucking_ face.” His eyes were fierce, and they spelled out death. Six laughed darkly.

“Mad? It’s true – you again the MATCH system are so much weaker than the rest of us.” Six leaned in to Odin’s face, porcelain face twisted in anger. “It’s in your genes.”

Odin tensed for a split second before punching them in the face.

The Guards did not move.

The maids did not move.

This had never happened before.

Six whiplashed and their eyes went wide in fury, brows knitted and heavy breaths heaving. “How dare you even think to lay a hand on me,” they fumed, standing up straight.

“I’ve th-thought about it a l-lot actually, but th-this is the f-first time I’ve d-done it,” Odin replied in an icy tone, cracking his knuckles.

Six looked to the floor for a moment, eyes sketching the ground, before they looked back up. A second passed before Six replied.

“ _Well_.”

They tackled Odin.

Odin shoved his hands into Six’s face while Six attempted to curl their fingers around his throat. Odin managed to knee them in the gut, but the title of General was not just a pretty word – they barely flinched before slamming a knee into his abdomen. Odin coughed violently, but his hands still made for Six’s eyes.

Six couldn’t reach his throat with the way he kept rolling his shoulders, and the fingers in their eyes made for an ample distraction – they moved to smashing in his face with their fists. Odin seemed unaffected by the hit, and instead shoved his fingers against the bottom of their throat, and they choked a moment.

“Y-You fucking f- _fake_ ,” Odin barked while he struggled.

“You inbred _mistake_ ,” Six hissed as they fought.

“ ** _I SAID STOP!_** ”

Before either of them knew what was happening, they were both drenched in cold water. They sobered up instantly as Ava pushed them apart – A guard pulled Six aside while a maid pulled Odin aside.

Her face was burning with panic, and she looked between them both, her hands around an empty vase. Her voice went high as she demanded “What are you two doing?!”

They both glared at the other, before Six shook the guard off of them and straightened their ruffled suit, like a bird preening its feathers. “We were… fighting.”

Odin scoffed. “N-No _shit_ , Sherlock.”

Ava put her hands up. “Why, _why_ , why were you two fighting?! I understand its stressful being here, and that,” she took a breath to steady herself “and that this place wasn’t built for people under stress, and that the MATCH system is being weird, but what could you _possibly_ find to fight over?”

Six glanced to Odin, and Odin swallowed hard. “I… A-Ava, we’re f-fighting over y- _you_.” Or, something like that. They both had beef with the other’s philosophy, but when push came to shove, she was the end goal in mind here. Whoever won her won out the argument, that their beliefs were the better ones.

Ava looked perplexed, her face distorting in confusion as she took a step back. “What?”

“Both of us have the opportunity of being your Match,” Six explained gently “so we are, naturally, repulsed by the other.”

Ava looked at Six’s earnest expression, and glanced over to Odin as he wiped a split lip.

“You’re kidding, right?” She scoffed aloud and took another step back. “I know that I don’t understand this place, and I’m not very good at my way around or the etiquette or whatever, but this…” she looked away. “…This is _mean_.”

Odin took a step forward, palms out, imploring. “A-Ava,” he began, but she shook her head.

“No,” she snapped “this is cruel. This is – how could you make fun of me like this? If anything, you two are fighting over which one of you has to be _burdened_ with me.”

Where moments ago anger had been boiling in Odin’s bones had now been replaced with a cold feeling of detachment. “Wh-What are you s-saying?”

“I’m saying that if you’re going to lie, at least don’t act like you believe it,” she snapped. Before they could say another word, she turned on her heel and pushed a guard aside as she went out the door.

They watched the doorway, as though hoping she would come back.

Six’s voice sounded strained. “She does not believe that people can love her,” they breathed in the voice of revelation. Odin wanted to know what was making them tick, wanted to know what other scheme they were plotting, but there was no way he could.

Instead, he could only think of any way to make her smile again.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava stomped down the hall. This was ridiculous. People didn’t love her, people didn’t fight for her like she was some sort of princess.

That wasn’t who she was. She wasn’t someone who wanted attention all the time, she didn’t want this display of strength and gifts and knowledge to win her over.

She wondered if they had truly tricked themselves into believing they care for her. Or maybe, they tricked her into believing she might have a friend in such an alien world, such a world full of misdirection and secrets.

She threw her room door open to find Nevy putting more towels in the bathroom. “Ah, Ava, I was wondering if-” Ava didn’t let Nevy finish as she picked up her rabbit and handed her to Nevy. “Ava?”

“Watch her for me.” Her voice was straining – her blood was pumping hotly in her veins, her vision going awash with anger. Nevy nodded and Ava managed to push her out before slamming the door, fingers trembling.

Why did this have to happen to her? Why couldn’t have been with someone who actually wanted to be fought over, someone who _wanted_ to be the center of attention?

Why did everything terrible always happen in this place?

This was the building her parents were killed in during the Scavenger’s terrorist attacks. She was there. She had seen it, she had seen her mother’s face go pale and drain from life as the rubble collapsed on top of her. She had seen it happen, and now the politics of parliament wanted to crush Ava too, and drain her of the life she had been so content with on her high and spacious room.

Ava cried out in frustration and her hands tightened into fists as she slammed them on the top of her nightstand. The clattering noise was almost satisfying.

Six didn’t love Ava, they couldn’t have. You couldn’t love someone you had just met, but the way they talked to her alluded to the _idea_ that they loved her – an illusion, like Tuls had said. This place was full of distortions, and Six’s love was one of them.

She flung her arms and everything on the stand either toppled to the floor or was sent flying a few feet to the side. She pulled a drawer out and spun on one foot as she smashed it against the wall, the sound of cracking wood almost like a lullaby to the fury and the fear twisting so violently in her gut. It wasn’t enough to satisfy the beast of wrath diggings its claws through her insides, and she sucked in another sharp breath.

What about Odin? He cared for her enough, but she was a distraction. She was also an outsider in a strange place, and he only clung to her because of safety in numbers – he trusted this place as much as she did, only he opened his mouth about it. And then he had to go and be tricked by the glamour of this place, thinking that he had actually been fighting for her affections.

Ava tried to swallow her fury, she _tried_ to pull the anger from her eyes and the curl from her fingers, but she couldn’t. If she let her guard down here for a single moment she would be killed like her parents, something inside her was screaming that – _don’t let your guard down, you will die in this sterilized place of fake flowers and false love, do not let you guard down, never_ – but she couldn’t stop. She was growing stiffer and more paranoid, the claustrophobia of a room small and blue like the rubble on her parents was enough to claw up her throat and out her mouth as she howled.

She threw her blankets aside, tossed armfuls of flowers into the air to try and pacify herself to no avail – and Maggie’s words scarcely echoed in her ears. “ _Don’t get angry, Ava. It’ll only make things worse._ ”

Things were already worse.

She had been pushed to the very peak of her stress, and now, her anger was going downhill, toppling everything in its path.

As she paced through the room like a wild animal, something bright caught her eye. A beam of sunlight was reflecting off the TV and danced across her face when she paced.

The surface of the screen was glossy, and smooth.

Ava stared at it.

She desperately wanted to stop feeling so angry, to stop wanting to damage things like she had been damaged, but it was so hard. This place was killing her.

“Why not,” she finally relented. Ava pressed the tips of her fingers against the screen, before fully smashing her hands against the glass. The TV sparked a little as she fired her hand against it, but no shards splintered off. That wasn’t any good.

She hit it, again.

And again.

And _again_.

Until both her hands were firing through the screen as tears dripped down her face and anger choked her from the inside, glass debris flying against her cheeks and slicing across her hands.

She stopped a moment to wipe sweat from her brow, but found a flash of red – she had glass in her hands, and they dripped onto her ratty pants and old shirt.

The adrenaline from her panic attack must have dulled the pain. She slid to the floor and held her hands against her chest, muttering “stupid, stupid,” as the anger began to ebb.

The anger began to ebb, but the panic didn’t. Her heart wouldn’t stop beating against her ribcage like a rabid, sick creature, and she rocked herself desperately.

Her apartment had been a place of solace in times like these, when sadness or anger began to overpower her – the scent of flowers reminded her of a home stripped long ago – but this place could not help her. This place was an immortal sign of her parent’s death, and the end of a childhood that should have been without burden.

She had to get out of here.

Ava stood abruptly and made for the door. She twisted the handle, and her palms protested enough to cause tears to prick at her eyes, but she flung it aside and began running down the hall. She heard someone behind her.

“Ava, what happened-?” Nevy’s voice cut off. “Oh no…”

Ava didn’t stop to look back, though a lump built in her throat. She had to get some fresh air, she couldn’t stand the smell of this place, or the blood dripping from her hands.

Debris and blood and walls closing in.

She was five again, only the corpse of her parents weren’t here – just her own.

The doors all looked the same. She had gone through this place only the night before, she should have known where she was going!

She spotted the flower bulb shaped lights on the wall. If she went down a few more hallways, the garden would greet her, and fresh air without walls.

Ava cupped her hands under her arms and continued to run, as though being pursued, chased by the furious hounds of her anger and guilt, when she nearly ran into someone. “Ava? Is something wrong?” She looked up to crystalline blue eyes and pale blonde hair. Prudith pushed her glasses up, looking her up and down. Her eyes went wide as she recognized blood spotting her shirt. “What happened?”

“Nothing!” Ava choked, her voice cracking horribly. She swerved past Prudith, hoping the assistant would leave good enough alone, but no. She followed.

“Ava, you’re bleeding! What happened? Did you have an accident, or did you cut your hands on some roses-?”

How could it be that the only scenarios someone as smart as Prudith could deduct were just _flowers_ and _accidents_?

Tuls words seemed to attack her.

_This place is dangerous, and the illusions here have been taking your disguise as **fact**._

Could they see her as nothing but a flower girl?

Ava shook her head. “No, that’s not it, just – leave me alone!” She tried to keep on walking past, but Prudith grabbed her by her elbow.

“Ava, you’ve got to tell someone what’s happened! That injury looks serious, and if it is an accident and there’s broken glass somewhere-”

Ava spun around and grabbed Prudith’s hand, her own bleeding onto the assistants.

“I punched a TV until it broke,” Ava replied darkly between her teeth.

Prudith’s mouth twisted into a shocked smile. “You’re kidding, right? There’s no way someone like _you_ could do something like that. Are you covering for someone? I bet Odin-”

_When you reveal the truth about yourself, this place will challenge that. This place will demand that you hide back behind your lies._

“Don’t romanticize _me_ like you did with Six, Prudith,” Ava snapped, squeezing her hand tighter. The tiny shards of glass in her hand began to sting and itch beneath her skin. “I am _not_ what everyone wants me to be.”

Prudith looked different. Her brows were furrowed, her eyes were blinking rapidly, her mouth kept opening and closing at random points – it was fear.

“Then what _are_ you?” the assistant asked shakily.

Ava dropped her hand. “I’m angry.”

With that final word she spun back around and continued to look for the door to the garden. Talking to her newly minted and now probably traumatized friend just exacerbated the panic in her breath. This was getting bad. If she fell any farther, she might not even be able to function, like when she was younger.

She spotted the double doors and stumbled over to them, flinging them open.

Gardens, fresh air. It hit her face sweetly enough that she almost buckled. Ava swept down the stairs and took no time in burying her feet in the dirt and slamming her body between a rose bush and a few stalks of lilies.

Outside was safe.

The flowers, the growing flowers that lived would not let any harm come to her.

She had to believe this.

A few speckles of fuzz danced on the wind, and Ava watched them fall.

A butterfly lazily wandered to a few flower nearby, and when she shifted it meandered to a farther bush.

Ava’s hands began to hurt.

She looked back down at them, and her fingers were covered in slices. Her knuckles were raw, and she could still see glittering bits of the television screen stuck between her fingers.

She sighed and leaned back against the rose bush. The thorns dug into her back, but it was stable, so she didn’t care for a moment.

This would happen again.

That place would eat at her until the memories of her parents were like new and the durability she had spent so long on building would crumble.

This would, without a doubt, happen again.

Ava shakily pulled out her phone and hit the emergency dialer. The phone made a few noises of call waiting, and Ava had yet to move from her spot.

A click.

“ _Ava_?”

She tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat.

“ _Ava, is that you? I haven’t even gotten a word from you in days_!”

She managed to choke out a coughing noise before putting her hand across her mouth, like she had already said something wrong.

“ _Ava_?”

“Maggie,” she whispered hoarsely. “I got mad.”

“ _Oh Ava_ …”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Six stood in the doorway.

“What happened here?”

Ava’s bed was in complete disarray. A drawer from her nightstand had been smashed into the wall, and flowers had been scattered everywhere in the room without any sort of order. The TV screen had been completely decimated, shards of glass and split wires frayed in every direction. It was utter chaos.

As Six stepped in, they could see blood spotting the floor.

Nevy spoke up. “Ava told me to hold onto her rabbit, and then…” she pet the small creature. “…There was just a bunch of crashing noises. I didn’t know what was happening, and I thought Ava would step out and give me an explanation, but…”

Six hummed. “This doesn’t seem like Ava at all. Are you sure she was the one that did this? There was no one else in the room?”

“I was just in it moments ago, I know that-”

Another voice cut in, sharper than the others. “It was her, alright.” They turned to see Prudith standing in the hall, her face a little damp from sweat, and pale.

Six inclined a brow. “I am presuming you are not just throwing wild accusations? I know of your dislike for her.”

She sneered. “She told me herself.”

Six nodded a little, but their eyes flicked to Prudith’s wrist.

“Miss Loone…” Their voice took on a deadly edge. “Whose blood is that on your cuff?”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“ _You can’t just keep calling me when things get sticky, Ava! I’m your friend, you gotta tell me things in advance_.”

“I didn’t want you involved,” Ava replied in a whisper. “This place is frightening, Maggie. It’s hiding things behind all its prettiness, I can feel it.”

“ _Yeah, yeah… I’m glad you told me what’s happening though. Two matches, hmnn?”_ She sounded like she was teasing.

Ava sighed, pushing her hair back from her face. The cuts on her hands were beginning to swell. “It’s a nightmare.”

“ _I know, you don’t like that sort of thing… okay_ ,” there was the sound of Maggie clapping on the other side, changing the subject _“first, you need to clean up the mess you made. That’s always part of getting your anger under control, remember?”_

“Right,” Ava recalled sluggishly.

“ _And – did you hurt yourself when you got angry?”_

Ava looked at her hands, caked with blood and still spotting at the wounds. “A little.”

“ _A **little** , yeah right. Take care of that first, don’t let it keep hurting you.”_

She scratched her hand. It itched. “But it feels kind of okay…”

 _“I’m not gonna let you slip into that rut again, Ava.”_ She nodded somberly, though Maggie couldn’t have seen it. _“Fix yourself up, fix your room up, apologize, and then go get some sleep.”_

Just as Ava was Maggie’s confidant when it came her to exes, Maggie knew how to deal with Ava when her anger overwhelmed her. They had done this time and time again, but this time the cycle had reached fatal levels.

“Maggie?”

“ _Yeah?”_

“I wanna go home.”

 _“I know.”_ A pause. _“Call me when you’re all fixed up, okay?”_

Ava sighed shakily. “Okay.” The line went dead and she shoved the phone back into her pocket. Her hands would need binding with bandages, maybe even stitches, considering she was stupid enough.

Ava looked back into the halls and the bright blue walls.

This place was a prison.

She stepped inside.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“It’s Ava’s blood,” Prudith replied. “Her hands were all, I don’t know how to explain it – it was like they were sliced up, but worse.” Six thought carefully.

“Why would she do this,” they asked to themselves, their shoulders still damp from Ava throwing a vase full of cold water on them.

“It’s o-obvious.” They all turned to see Odin leaning against the wall. “She h-hates this pl-place, same as m-me.”

Six glared and popped a hip. “And why would you say that, exactly? She’s been treated with nothing but the upmost hospitality.”

Odin sighed and pulled out a cigarette. Everyone went stiff as he lit it and inhaled deeply, before exhaling a foul plume into the air, an obvious slap in the face, a sign of rebellion. “F-For wanting to b-be Ava’s M-Match, you sure kn-know jack shit ab-about her.”

Six glared.

“Elaborate, _now_.”

Odin seemed to relish in the fact that he knew something they didn’t, and Six felt their arms go taut. They really wanted to punch him in the face again.

“M-May,” Odin began “the tw-twenty-sixth. The final attack fr-from the sc-scavenger terrorists on p-parliament, collapsing m-more than t-two-thirds of the building. It w-was the last a-attack, but the m-most brutal. Over t-two h-hundred lives were l-lost.”

“Of this I am painfully aware, Arrow,” Six seethed. “What does this have to do with Ava?”

Odin turned lazily and blew a smoke ring in Six’s face. “D-Don’t you _get_ it? A-Ava’s p-parents worked h-here, Six. They d-died here.” Six’s eyes went side, and for a brief second their shoulders went slack with shock. Odin sucked in another breath, relaxing. “Th-This place p-probably r-reeks of death f-for her, and y-you’ve got us tr-trapped here so you c-can fix the M-MATCH system. It’s like h-her own little c-circle of hell.”

Six took a dangerous step towards Odin. He didn’t falter, and when his mouth pulled into a wry smile the signs of a forming bruise from Six’s scuffle were easily visible across his cheek.

“Why didn’t she tell me of this?” Six asked in a deceivingly quiet tone. They put their hand out to take Odin’s cigarette, but instead he just ground the lit end into Six’s palm. The glove charred, but Six didn’t recoil from the burn.

“Y-You didn’t ask.” Odin almost growled, his voice husky and strong. “You h-have a h-habit of _assuming_.”

Six was about to say something in rebuttal, when there was a quiet gasp among the small gathering. Ava was walking up the hall, and her hands were dark with dried blood. They hung at her sides as she approached, her expression grim and her eyes sullen, hair like a cape of scarlet as though she was some sort of ghost or wraith.

She neared Prudith.

“I’m sorry for snapping,” she apologized. “I know you were just concerned. I shouldn’t have been rude.” She worried her lower lip between her teeth, and opened her mouth as though she was going to say more, but stopped short and turned away.

Prudith touched her wrist, her cuff bloodied, and looked back up to where Ava was walking with a parcel of confusion. Her tone was nearly the same as when she had apologized for snapping at her earlier- was she used to this? Ava went to Nevy and thanked her for watching her unnamed pet, before entering her room.

Six put a hand out. “Wait, I can have the maids clean your room. You can-”

“I must be held accountable for my actions,” Ava replied quietly. “If I’m not, this’ll happen again. I’ll clean it up.” She closed the door very quietly, as though not to inconvenience anyone with the noise.

“That was unexpected,” Six noted aloud. “I had not thought that she was… like that.”

“Wh-What,” Odin ventured, going past Six to his room “n-not a st-stereotype?” Six shot him a look, but Odin was already shrugging and ducking into his room.

Six lingered outside of her door.

If Ava hated this place, then what could they do to help her feel more relaxed? What could they do to convince her of their loyalty and love?

A single thought came to mind.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava had cleaned the room up in no time, the TV and broken drawer set aside and the flowers put back around the room instead of scattered on the floor.

She had cleaned her hands and bound them up, but they ached horribly and itched. She stared at the ceiling as her pet nuzzled up against the crux of her elbow.

Tomorrow, she was sure to get up.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin was sitting in his room, mulling over the previous events. Ava had just as much stress as himself when it came to this forsaken place, but he couldn’t really do anything about it, not really.

Unless he found something out about her that could help her.

“Tch,” he eased into his bed “r-relationships are b-bull.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Nev never thought she would see Six going through their drawers. They barely changed outfits. “Is there something I can help you with, General?”

Strategos Six stood up, holding two different coats. “One of these has shoulder guards and tassels, but the other has one of those deep collars. Which one looks better on me?”

“The one with the silver tassels,” she replied, blinking. “Why?”

Nevy knew if they weren’t wearing their mask, Six would be beaming with unrestrained delight.

“I must look my best. After all…” They set Ava’s files down on their dresser. “I’m going on a date tomorrow.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 


	4. venom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for nasty jokes and odin's pride being absolutely pulverized

“Excuse me,” Nevy sputtered “a _date_?”

Six replied to her confusion with a flat look, shoulders going slack as they lowered the coats down. “I assume you’ve heard of a date, Nervine.”

“I know what a date is,” she snapped, turning to the files and straightening them out “but I wasn’t expecting Ava to say yes. The girl just got over a-”

“She hasn’t said yes,” Six continued, looking over their wardrobe with a critical eye.

Nevy tapped her foot. “Last I heard, no means _no_.”

“I mean I haven’t _asked_ her yet. And I don’t plan to.” Closing their wardrobe, they turned and sifted through a few more files on a nearby desk, murmuring things as though memorizing them. “I may have asked your opinion on outfits, but I also need you to deliver a package to Ava.”

Her stomach twisted, an unsettling feeling worming around her in her stomach.

In all the good fun, Nevy had forgotten something critical – Six was a General. As suave as they were, they operated as a military leader. They had plans, every person like a piece on a chess board and Ava the king piece that they sought so entirely. Nevy wasn’t too shabby at the manipulation game either, but Six was nothing short of being the master of this game. She could only predict what they were going to do, but she could never know for certain, else she might prevent it.

Six turned.

“The package is by the door, make sure Ava has it in her hands before evening.”

Looking at the package, it was a fine paper bag, with glittery paper lining the top. She considered being nosy, but not with the puppet master looking over their clothes watching her with half an eye.

“It will be done, Strategos,” Nevy obeyed, lifting it up into her arms and exiting the room.

She had a bad feeling about this.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava awoke suddenly. She was aware that she wasn’t sleeping anymore, and that a static haze that had accompanied her moments ago had been pulled, so she was staring at her pet rabbit who had curled against her bosom.

She reached out to pet it, but stopped short when she saw how cut up her hands were.

Oh, what a wreck she was. Now everyone had seen her at her worst, like a rabid mad dog, baring its teeth and attacking even itself.

She rolled over, letting the bunny nuzzle its nose into the crux of her elbow.

She hoped the MATCH system would be repaired soon…

There was a knock at her door, that’s what must have woken her up. She pulled the blankets aside but picked the rabbit up, waking it from its fuzzy slumber, and pulled the creature to cradle it against her collarbone. Her feet felt cold the moment they fell flat on the floor, her toes wiggling anxiously.

The knock persisted.

She stood crossed the room, calling out “Wait a moment,” before finally reaching the door and creeping it open. Surprisingly, Odin stood on the other side.

His hair was tousled in a neater way than usual, pulled so that it wasn’t across his eyes. If she didn’t know any better, his clothes actually looked kempt, as if he was thinking about what he wore that morning.

“Breakfast is starting soon,” he spoke softly “and I thought we could walk together.”

She nodded. “Okay. Let me get dressed.” A few moments later, after Ava had pulled on something that wasn’t banana pajamas, she stepped back out, holding her rabbit close. Odin looked at the rabbit and smiled slightly, a phantom of an expression.

“I’m gl-glad you l-like your gift.”

They walked parallel, though Odin had to slow his pace. For every one of his steps, she took two. “It’s a good gift,” she replied. “Though a little high maintenance.”

He rubbed the back of his head. “I w-was l-looking for s-something you’d l-like. W-Was it a li-little over the top?”

He sounded nervous. She looked over her shoulder out of habit, and was surprised to find no guards shadowing them. “Why aren’t there any guards watching us?”

“I asked them not to,” he continued nonchalantly, his last question forgotten.

“ _Wh_ \- are you _serious_?”

“Nah,” he stretched his arms behind his head “It’s a-actually pretty early in the m-morning, I l-lied about breakfast.”

The hallways _were_ strangely quiet, and the usual golden lighting filtering in through sky blue curtains was absent. Instead, there was a quiet lavender light, dawn rising to meet the horizon and drench the world in a wine colored hue. How had she not noticed?

“But why?” They both stopped to turn and pull a curtain aside, and the usual pure white city glittered against the shadows. Ava felt anxious at the sight of it. In District C, there was no stillness – things rustled and shifted, rising and falling like a sleeping animal. Here in District A, the stillness was almost like that of a machine, or a dead thing. There was no shifting, no tension of breath holding waiting for the sun to rise.

“Th-This is w-weird, isn’t it?” He leaned against the windowsill. “The M-MATCH p-problem. D-District A is kn-known for cl-cleaning things up to p-pristine condition. Th-The M-MATCH problem sh-should be only for y-your account, b-but th-they’re acting like th-there’s some s-sort of... h-huge malfunction.”

Ava looked at her tiny rabbit. She was almost unnerved that it was genetically bred to be so small, but it was too cute to really be too disturbed about.

“So… you think there’s some sort of cover-up for a larger problem?”

He snapped his fingers. “Ex-Exactly. And y-your double m-match was j-just an in-indicator of it.”

She hummed. “Why are you telling _me_ this?”

“Y-You’re closest to S-Six. I’m s-sure if you as-asked-”

Ava squinted, pursing her lips. “Wait, are you asking me to play spy?” Odin visibly deflated, looking back through the window.

“Augh, wh-when you s-say it l-like that…” He rubbed his temples. “I’m as-asking for h-help, Ava. The G-General obviously isn’t g-getting anything done, we’ve b-been here for d-days.” He pulled back and folded his arms, narrowing his eyes at the view. “D-District D m-may be an utter sh-shitstain of a place, but its st-still my home.”

Ava worried her lower lip between her teeth, trying to tackle her fear. “I don’t want to pick sides… Six would be mad if they found out I might be trying something devious.”

“I-It’s not d-devious, but I un-understand. I w-won’t force you or a-anything.” Odin was honestly asking for help to get home, outright without any strings. That certainly showed his desperation, considering she noticed he, too, was willing to manipulate and speak sly for his own sake.

The sun finally crept into sight, the sky rippling with rose and lilac colorations.

“I’ll do what I can,” she finally relented. _For my sake as well as yours_ , she thought to herself, but didn’t say aloud. Odin looked relieved, and smiled with crooked teeth.

“Th-Thank you.”

The sun was rising – soon, the guards would be in the halls instead of at the security cameras, and Ava was almost a little sad to see the solace of the halls be overtaken by watchful eyes. Odin suggested they may as well wait in the main hall for Six to arrive with their “creep brigade of guards” as he so gently put, and she agreed with a swift nod.

As Ava sat down at the singular table, she pet her rabbit.

She felt like the cause of the MATCH problem was right under her nose, but she couldn’t pin point it – not yet, at least. Not until she had the opportunity to ask Six some questions.

>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin couldn’t help but relish the look of frustration and shock that crossed Six’s face when they entered the hall, looking between Ava and Odin.

“What are you two doing up so early?” They sounded accusing, as though being suspicious that the two of them had been off gallivanting whilst the general slept.

Odin rolled his shoulders. “W-We really couldn’t r-resist seeing your f-face,” he replied sarcastically, wiggling his fingers “we c-couldn’t wait an-another m- _moment_ , the a-anticipation w-was killing us.”

“To be frank,” Six replied caustically, sitting down stiffly as though their socks had been replaced with jell-o “you really can’t see my face.”

“I d-doubt we’re m-missing out on m-much.”

“Or maybe I’d rather not spoil my visage with your dirty eyes looking at it.”

“Hey,” Ava interrupted nervously “can you two stop for a bit?” Odin looked over at her, cradling her rabbit, scarlet hair tousled so prettily in the morning light, and he caved. Six had a similar response, except they cleared their throat and looked the other direction.

“Breakfast is coming along,” Six reassured a moment later to fill in the void of silence. Odin glanced at Ava, eyes widening slightly before looking from her to the white-clad General. She looked down at her lap, before visibly steeling herself.

“Hey, Six?” They blinked thrice in succession, their thoughts obviously preoccupied with something else as they dragged themselves into the present.

“Yes, Ava?”

“How’s the MATCH problem going? Are there any improvements?”

They leaned forward on their fingers, chuckling softly. “So eager to leave?”

“I don’t like being kept here against my will,” she replied in the same tone as her question, uncertain and blatant. “I don’t like being kept in the dark – please, what’s the real problem with MATCH? What is it that’s not working, that makes it so I have two?”

Either she was incredible at playing the doe-eyes look or the atmosphere of this place was really driving Ava up the wall too. She looked ready to bust at the seams, and Six exhaled before relenting. Odin leaned forward a bit, listening in.

“It’s a problem with the older coding, an older but base system,” they explained. “The MATCH program has, in a structural sense, a few pillars that keep it place, and functioning, with this particular program as the main pillar in the middle – but since the main pillar has malfunctioned, the other pillars keep it up, even if it’s unstable.” Odin felt like Six was going through great lengths not to explain what this main pillar represented or what its true function was, and Ava noticed their careful diction too as she glanced to her hands.

“But what does the-”

“Breakfast is ready!” Ranunculae interrupted, entering the hall with a rolling tray. She handed out various platters as an uneasy silence settled across the group.

Odin glanced to Ava, who seemed to be deep in thought, her brows twisted and her lips pursed as she looked through the windows behind Six. Odin wasn’t certain if the General thought Ava was looking at them or the sky behind them, but either way Six seemed pleased that they were at least in her line of sight.

It seemed both himself and Ava didn’t have an appetite though, as both platters of food were growing cold, bacon pooling with clotting grease and pancakes growing cloddy.

That brought another thought to Odin – “S-Six, why d-don’t you ever e-eat with Ava and I?”

“My tastes differ than yours,” they replied curtly.

Ava seemed curious. “What, like you don’t like sweet foods or…?”

Odin leered “I th-think they l-like the taste of n- _newborns_ more.”

Six leaned forward with the full intention of saying something rude enough to spur on Odin more or humiliate him, and he was more than inclined not to let that happen, especially with Ava sitting next to him.

So, with a careful curl of the wrist, Odin reached out and pinched either side of the General’s medical mask, pulling it back. There was a split second where Six’s eyes went wide, Ava opened her mouth to protest, and Odin smirked.

_Snap!_

Six held onto their face, cradling it and hissing. Odin had effectively snapped their medical mask across their nose, and it was awfully satisfying to see the General doubled over with tears in their eyes like a child scraping their knees.

“You worthless trash,” Six swore, still holding onto their face “do you know what you’ve done?”

“I-I’ve got s-some sweet r-revenge, served h-hot and ready,” Odin replied, stretching his arms behind his head like a haughty cat, mouth curled into a smile.

Six swore again and ducked their face, gloved hands still pressed up to their jawline. Ava stood up, setting her rabbit on Odin, much to his surprise.

“Six, are you okay? What’s the matter?”

Six gestured to one of the maids, who instantly excused herself to go fetch something. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it-”

Ava had already come close enough to see the issue. “Oh, the elastic strap on your mask broke, didn’t it?” The General looked away, ashamed, their snow blue hair shifting over their eyes. Odin felt possessiveness crawl up his back as Ava leaned over and tugged on the General’s wrists, urging them to pull aside.

“Come on, why do you even wear that mask?”

They looked away but relented, letting the mask slide to the ground.

Odin blinked in surprise, sitting up.

The rumors were right – people _were_ prettier in District A.

Six was _stunning_ – their skin was smooth and unblemished as a marble statue, mouth quirked in a clever smile, their jawline smooth and nose soft. They had perfectly straight teeth when they spoke, with no yellow tinge over the bone. They looked like something straight out of fantasy.

“I wear a medical mask because I work with so many people, I don’t want to get sick,” they replied, and their voice cut sharply through the air without the muffle of the mask.

Ava looked intimidated by their prettiness, and needless to say, so did Odin. This creature was something far prettier and dangerous than something should be in the natural world.

“Oh – you’re, uh, wow,” she sputtered, lowering her hands.

Six quirked a brow. “Yes, Ava? What is it?”

Her cheeks were beginning to warm with a blush, and that irritated Odin sorely. “You’re just, uh, I didn’t expect you to look like this.”

They smirked as another maid walked up, handing a plastic wrapped medical mask to them. “Did you think I was disfigured or malformed in some way, Ava? That I was the phantom of this opera, distorted behind a mask?”

Ava didn’t reply, but she looked plenty embarrassed – Odin cursed the face that they were really charming looking when they smiled. Luckily, a few moments later, they stretched the straps over their ears and tossed their hair, completing the image once again.

“Well, shall we?” They finally straightened themselves, squaring their shoulders, and lending a hand out to lead Ava back to her table. It seemed their mask made them more confident, almost like a safety blanket of disguise.

Odin hated that he winced when Ava took their hand, allowing herself to be led back to the table. She looked enchanted, and it was enough to make him scowl. Ava sat back at the table with a bewildered expression, and her rabbit was eager to be back in her arms.

Odin glared at Six, who was most obviously smiling like a cat under that mask.

That plan backfired painfully.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

After a brief breakfast, Six offered to give Ava a proper tour of the building. She agreed, and Six felt a particular brand of delight when she handed her rabbit and coat over to Odin to place in her room, as though he was some sort of servant. By his bitter expression, Six knew they had won this fight.

Six offered their arm – Ava reached out to hook her fingers around their bicep, but hesitated when she saw the bandages over her knuckles from her earlier breakdown.

“I do not mind,” they replied softly to her expression, and she finally relaxed, slipping her hand in as they walked.

They were going to one of the political dining rooms, a place for world leaders to meet and discuss various things when Ava spoke up.

“About yesterday…” She hesitated, and Six took the fraction of a second to cut her off smoothly.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m certain you were just stressed, no need to apologize.”

“Oh – well,” she sounded startled, looking down at her feet and flexing her fingers “that, I was going to say that, and… I’ve done that before.”

They rounded a corner. They were approaching the grand room, but she was too preoccupied – Six felt a twinge of frustration. Only so much could dazzle her before her problems became the center of her mind.

 _Focus on me_ , they thought bitterly.

“I’ve gotten mad and been unable to control myself,” she confessed in a trembling voice. “If it happens again-”

“If it happens again, you ought to tell me what to do,” Six once again intervened, leading her into the wide room. “Next time, should there be one, I’ll gladly help to prevent any damage to property-” they slid their vision over to Ava’s face “-or person.”

“Th…Thank you,” she replied, but it sounded forced. However, the topic was dropped and Six was happy enough that it was – now, they could dazzle Ava with this room.

“This is the main dining hall during political sessions,” they explained. Ava finally looked up, and her face flashed with awe, her mouth parting into a small smile. “It’s usually off-limits until the monthly debates.”

“There’s a chandelier,” she pointed out, and there was. It hung grandly in the middle of the room, tiny crystals reflecting light into sparkling refractions on the walls. The tile underneath their feet echoed attractively, making every step sound important, and there was a neat black piano tucked in the corner, completing the image of an empty yet magnificent room. “This place gets fancier every time I step into it,” she cracked with a tiny grin.

“Yes, well, I thought I might show you the ropes. When the MATCH system is fixed, it shall choose who shall be your companion. Should it be me, we may as well be prepared, right?” They glanced back down to her fondly, and they felt an alien warmth sensation build up behind their ribs, swelling with affection when Ava nodded resolutely.

“That looked rather final, Ava.”

“Well,” they pulled her along as they exited the hall, exiting marble and shining grace to the dull blue tiles that led back to her room “I’m sort of… coming to terms with MATCH.”

This sounded good.

“I mean, it’ll either be you or Odin, so when push comes to shove, I should really stop being so… so… so unnerved by it, right?”

This sounded really good.

Six stopped her in the hall, turning slightly to look at her. “Try not to stress yourself too incredibly much, Ava. Many MATCH pairings have an allotted period where they must accept and cope with their new relationship. You don’t have to do it all at once. However,” they tugged their mask down and whisked her hand up “it doesn’t mean I’m not impressed by you, none the less.” They pecked a kiss on her knuckles and Ava flustered, putting her other hand to her mouth and looking around as though the gesture was scandalous.

Six pulled their mask back up, fully intending on parading Ava through the facility like a trophy – but fate always had other plans.

Prudith did a hairpin turn around the corner, obviously running around trying to find Six. “Strategos!” They tried to fight the instinctive twitch of irritation that possessed their left eye “we found where the main problem in the MATCH system is. We need your help going through the details – we’re not sure which section-”

“I’m coming,” they replied doggedly, focusing their attention back on Ava. “Care to take a raincheck on this tour?”

Ava nodded, already untangling her grip from their arm.

“Do you mind if we go out later?” they asked smoothly as they straightened their collar. Ava was a little preoccupied as she rummaged around her pockets.

“Hm? Sure.”

A wicked smile was hidden by the medical mask. “Then I’ll see you tonight,” they bid.

Maybe this would work out better than they thought.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin was stalking back to his room, fuming. He had been planning to humiliate Six by snapping their mask – certainly that dollop of revenge had been sweet for the three seconds it lasted – but instead Ava had just been bewitched by their stupidly pretty face.

Her rabbit squeaked where it was perched in his arms. She had asked him to take her rabbit and her coat back to her room, and although he wasn’t the servant type he could at least do that.

However, her jacket began shivering slightly, and he blinked as he identified the muffled buzzing of a phone. Rustling around in the pockets, he found Ava’s phone ringing, the touchscreen flashing with the image of a green-haired girl, the name “Maggie <3” brightening with the ringing.

Well, shit.

It wasn’t his phone, but what if this was an important call? Ava didn’t seem the type to make a lot of calls, and he didn’t like the idea of invading her privacy. Fully intending on swiping the red button, he fumbled the phone in his hand and ended up swiping the green key answering it.

Touch phones were out to ruin his destiny, this he swore.

“ _Ava? Ava what’s goin’ on, I said I would be calling, what’s up?_ ”

Odin nervously brought the phone to his face. “Uh – A-Ava isn’t h-here right now, uh…”

“… _Who the fuck is this.”_

Ava’s friend sounded like she could make goats fall with nothing but the sharpness in her tone. “Sh-She accidentally l-left her ph-phone with me, uh, c-can I take a m-message or-”

“ _Waaaaait,”_ Maggie’s voice dropped an octave “ _you’re one of her MATCH’s, aren’t you_?”

That startled him. Didn’t Six want this under wraps? “Y-Yeah, I’m Odin.”

“ _You sound like a train wreck, and I’m not just talking about the stutter. God, your voice is like two cinderblocks smashing together, I hope you have a good personality_.”

Odin decided he did not like Maggie.

“L-Listen, do y-you want m-me t-to take a m-message or what.”

“ _Actually I was calling to check up on Ava, since I know she’s not doing too hot. Or she’s doing way hotter than she should be.”_ Maggie paused, and after another moment she asked quietly “ _How are things over there?”_

Odin continued walking over to Ava’s room, and toggling the handle it was locked. He went to his room and decided to stand in the doorway, still holding the tiny rabbit. “Wh-Who wants to kn-know?”

“ _Me. Something fishy is up, District D and C already knew that, but now B is starting to get nervous_.”

He suppressed the urge to chuckle. It seemed Ava wasn’t the type to befriend just anyone – this Maggie character actually seemed pretty together about this whole situation, in spite of her stereotyping of his voice.

“M-MATCH is still down.”

He heard the receiver go into static as she sighed. “ _Ugh, I’m never gonna get a MATCH at this rate. In any case, tell Ava I called up-_ ” the tiny rabbit squeaked impatiently in Odin’s grip _“-and what was that?”_

“A… r-rabbit.”

“… _Why do you have a rabbit? What in the world goes on in Parliament_?” Her confusion was increasing.

“It’s n-not m-mine – I m-mean I b-bought it, but it was f-for Ava, okay?”

“ _You bought her a pet rabbit? Holy shnickies, you might just be good for something.”_

“Wh-What’s a shn- _shnicki_ -”

Maggie somehow managed to interrupt him in spite of being only on the phone. He got the distinct feeling that if they were in the same room, she would be holding up her finger for him to cease his chatter.

“ _Listen up sandpaper_ ,” what was her problem with his voice? Smoking wasn’t that bad “ _I’m gonna give you a tip, because you don’t seem half bad._ ”

He listened, but he certainly wasn’t happy about it – he didn’t reply.

“ _She likes classical music. It’s not hard to come by, but it’s one of the few topics she doesn’t get anxious about. If you manage not to screw that up, then you’re okay_.”

What was Maggie to Ava, her best-friend-mom figure? Either way it was kind of irritating in a “I know more than you and I know it” sense. Odin hated feeling belittled by knowledge.

“Wh-What am I s-supposed to do w-with this?”

Maggie scoffed. “ _Use your head_.”

“Wh-Why’re you b-being nice to me?”

There was a moment of silence, but it wasn’t awkward so much as tense, the same way one might hold their breath watching a cup of water tilt right before the water hit the ground.

“ _What makes you think I’m doing this for you? I’m doing this for Ava. She deserves to hear something comforting from someone over there, and I can’t be over there. I would if I could but I can’t, so you have to pick up the slack_.”

Odin tapped his foot, narrowing his eyes. “Wh-Why should I d-do that?”

“ _You care about Ava too. You might have a stone face but your words are pretty transparent, in spite of sounding like a hyena_. _Now stop all the why’s and what’s and get to it_.”

She hung up, and that mollified Odin slightly that she was willing to shut up first, and he sighed as the phone’s screen went black. He shoved the phone back into the pocket of the coat and picked his brain for a connection.

Ava liked classical music, but how was he supposed to provide that? He wasn’t even certain that the inner Districts had any old music – most older relics were preserved by the outer cores, but C and D actually had a sense of history. TiTAN, it seemed, like to ignore the past and pave a new path over the old, completely ignoring the years behind and how they would assist this world.

He blinked when he saw Ava’s scarlet hair smudge in the light blue hallways, and he straightened himself out.

“Odin!” She waved a little and picked up her pace. “Hey, thanks for holding my things – was the bun okay?”

“Y-Your rabbit ac-acted fine,” he assured, relinquishing the coat and the fuzzy mammal over “h-how was the t-tour?”

Ava shrugged, her expression dampening. “It was cut short. They had found some stuff out about the MATCH system and went to go fix it.”

Odin counted that as a win given from the cosmos. “S-See anything in-interesting?”

“Yeah,” she looked up as though trying to catch sight of her own memories “there was a neat sort of ballroom for meetings, with a chandelier and a piano. It was pretty fancy.”

A piano.

Odin’s mouth cracked into a small smile.

Of _course_.

He could play the piano, maybe that would awaken some of Ava’s love for classical music; but he hadn’t played in years, not since they sold the piano for rent money. He hoped it was like riding a bike, and that maybe his fingers could make up where his mind couldn’t.

Ava toggled her door-handle. “What? Why’s it locked,” she asked aloud, and as though waiting for her entrance cue, Nevy approached.

“Allow me,” she responded stiffly, pulling a keyring from her pocket. “Sometimes we lock the door for privacy.”

Odin quirked a brow. She sounded like she was reciting lines, practiced until memorized, but not really acting them out. His suspicion grew more when Nevy opened the door and let Ava enter, before stepping in herself and shutting the door.

He glared at the door.

This wasn’t good.

In the meantime, he may as well find out where that piano was.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava scoured her room, noticing something was off. “Oh, the TV was replaced,” she murmured softly, realizing her earlier breakdown had been carefully patched up and concealed. She wrinkled her nose.

_Does Six want to pretend that it never happened?_

Tuls had said earlier that TiTAN loved illusions, and it seemed Six was the real magician when it came to creating a lulling atmosphere where everything should be tense and distrusting.

Finally, she noticed a bag on her bed. The paper of it looked fancy, and she turned to Nevy. “What’s this?”

“A… gift,” Nevy chose her words carefully, hands folded formally across her chest “from the General.”

Ava set her bunny and jacket down, the paper bag crinkling when she reached inside. Her fingertips touched silk, and something feathery – she pulled back automatically, rubbing her hands together as though it was a foreign substance that could potentially harm her.

“The General requests that you wear this for tonight’s formal dinner,” Nevy continued, drawling out this information like a machine.

“Formal dinner, what-?” Ava turned on her heel, stunned with confusion. “I didn’t hear about any formal dinner.”

“The General asked to continue their tour from earlier, yes?” Ava nodded. “They are planning to do so in this manner.”

Ava felt anger coil up behind her eyes, her chest throbbing with disbelief. “That dirty rat tricked me!” she shrieked, her shoulders and knees tight. “They twisted my words to-!”

Nevy looked sympathetic, but unwilling to help, and she shrugged weakly. “I can help you get dressed once they’re done with their work.”

Ava was seething, her jaw clenched and her fingers curled into taut fists, shaking by her sides. “I’m not going. They can’t trick me into going on a date with them. I’m not a prize to be won or duped.” She was seeing red, but in the midst of it she hated how her throat felt gummy – she really should have known better with idle words when it came to Six.

“Ava, please – if not now, _when_?” Nevy settled her hand on Ava’s shoulder, and she felt her anger leak like hot air from a balloon, deflating. “Six is determined, they’ll pull this stunt until the MATCH program is fixed. You should at least try.”

The redhead looked a little less angry and a little more tired. Ava didn’t want to relent, didn’t want to cave under pressure, but Nevy was right. Six would keep this up, and Ava was tired of walking on pins and needles around the General.

“This isn’t throwing in the towel – just a date, Ava,” Nevy continued, her voice soft and trusting.

Lose the battle, win the war.

She bit her lip, pulling her hands to her chest. “I’ll – I’ll think about it. I’m not promising anything.” Nevy released her hand and took a step back, smiling, the freckles on her dark cheeks curving.

“Call if you need anything,” and Nevy departed.

Ava sat down and stared at the bag. In it was a fine outfit, no doubt, but she was still mad at Six.

Mad? Why was she mad? Because they deceived her with slight of tongue and opportunity advantage?

Asking Six not to manipulate was like asking a scorpion not to sting; it was hard wired into their nature to get what they wanted through any means necessary, including pulling all the stops. Even something as simple as a “yeah” was an invitation to pull their weird wicked schemes.

She sat down on the bed. Was she the one being irrational? It would be like her to overreact wildly to any sort of thing that caused change in her life, and she wasn’t fond of dates in any way.

Besides, Nevy was trustworthy. Maybe the date would be fun.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Six scoured over the paper files on their desk – this section of the tech was so archaic that they had to check the paper trail left before the Scavengers to really get a grasp on what the problem was.

They sighed in relief when they found the right file, stacking all the others in the corner.

PURGE file, the remnants of them anyway. They set it aside, feeling a wash of relaxation, and picked up Ava’s file, flicking through it – likes, classical music, animals, charity, plants – they memorized the list. At the sound of their door opening, they looked through their peripherals for just a split second.

“Nevy. Did you deliver the package?”

She was looking not at them, but the wall behind them, a faux feeling of actually making eye contact. “Yes.”

“And did you soften her up?”

“…Yes.”

Six stretched. “Good.”

Six knew Nevy wouldn’t like being ordered to basically manipulate Ava, but the redhead was fond of the staff, and she bent to the will of her friends more than to her suitors.

They studied up her file, they sent her fine clothing, and they had reservations at a fine place that was _not_ in Parliament.

According to statistics, this date would go very well – but they always left elbow room. After all, nothing ever went according to plan.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava had the dress unfolded on her bed, observing it.

The cloth was of a fine silk, a rich red in color. It felt like liquid when Ava pulled on it, and it flowed as smoothly to match.

It had a high collar and short sleeves, the stitches tight to hug her waist and pour to her ankles. The outfit came with a set of gloves and shoes, and Ava felt significantly more unnerved by the fact that Six must have known all her measurements to get these gifts.

It was pretty, to be certain, but Ava felt almost sick looking at it. This wasn’t so much a gift as much as a contract. The moment she put that outfit on, that meant she was up for the date.

Was she up for the date?

…She didn’t know, not anymore.

She put her hands to her forehead and bobbed her knee, thinking. She was tired of being tired, and of this place, of being manipulated, and swept aside like she had the mentality of a child.

If she relented, would Six stop being like this?

She thought of Odin, suddenly. He had been honest with her sometimes, but he had a strange feeling of possessiveness over her that made her itchy. She wasn’t anybody’s, a MATCH was supposed to be a mutual relationship.

Why did she feel so hunted here?

Ava took another look at the dress before laying down flat on her back, letting her head rest as her rabbit hopped onto her chest and stared at her with wide, inky black eyes.

Life would probably be easier as a rabbit, she theorized, especially one bred to be so pretty.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Nevy was almost disgusted at the rate Six gussied themselves up for this date, straightening ties and clipping on tassels, slipping on a less surgical looking mask to a face cover that was more formal, _and they were excited about it._

The pretty killer General was excited about a date, and Nevy had no clue how to feel about that.

“Can you go check on Ava,” Six asked, their mask pulled down to show their pretty, slender face “and see if she’s getting ready?”

Nevy simply nodded and excused herself, exhaling softly. This felt awful. Earlier, the game of who Ava would end up with was like a game, a show that the staff and guards had no effect on changing.

But now, Ava’s suitors were being unfair.

Nevy would have loved to intervene, had one of them not been her boss.

She squared her shoulders and stepped out.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin heard Ava’s door open, and quiet whispers in the halls. He had been looking over a small pamphlet of a map that he had gotten from Ranunulae, looking for the room Ava was describing with the piano, but was distracted by the noises in the hall.

He hoisted himself up and opened the door, fully intending on asking for some peace and quiet, but his words seized in his throat.

Ava turned, blinking wide eyes.

Her hair was pulled and pinned up, the scarlet locks a fiery mass against her scalp. She was wearing a dress that was snug in all the right places, accentuating her curves and bringing out the color in her hair and cheeks. She had slender gloves that went up past her elbows, and when she moved her entire ensemble looked like shimmering ruby water, gently rolling and pulling against Ava like great sea waves.

“W-Wow,” Odin replied, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Y-You look like a m-million bucks.” Ava smiled slightly, turning and looking down, rolling her shoulders. “Wh-What’s the occasion?”

A familiar voice spoke, and the word they wielded were like weapons against Odin’s ears. “We’re going on a _date_.”

Odin didn’t want to turn, but he did anyway, inch by inch as though someone was capturing this moment through the desaturated lens of a horror movie.

Six stood at the far end of the hallway, sporting their official uniform, complete with silver tassels and a cloak thrown over one shoulder, lined with sky blue silk on the inside.

Standing there, posing in the limelight that they had somehow gotten a date with Ava, Odin had never felt more ready to kill someone in his entire life. The way they tilted their chin up, every motion waterlogged with superiority, it made Odin want to pull the hidden knife in his boot and have-at-thee to the silver clad General.

However, he didn’t need to resort to that – Ava delivered a far deadlier blow, one that cut to the bone.

“First of all, it’s not a date. Second of all, if I go out with you, will you stop being so aggressive?” Ava sounded beyond tired, like a babysitter relenting and giving another cookie to a spoiled child.

Odin realized that’s what this was – a pity date, and Six was probably going to exploit this opportunity for everything they had. He turned to the General, who’s earlier superior splendor had been squelched abruptly, but they still had an aura of glee anyway.

“Ava, don’t be so stiff. We’re going out for fun,” they leaned an elbow out, and she hooked her fingers inside “so try to enjoy yourself, okay? This is for you.”

Ava’s eyes fluttered and she looked over her shoulder, almost morosely, waving to Odin. “I’ll see you later, Odin,” she called out, almost ignoring the General. Six tugged on her and they were down the hall, leaving Odin alone.

He had to do something. In his mind’s eye, he had considered Ava a damsel in distress, who had been taken by a wicked puppeteer, but he had to stop that before it started.

Ava had shown, on multiple occasions, that she could hold her own against Six’s prying. She wasn’t a child, and he wasn’t a hero.

He stepped into his room, grabbing his pamphlet. Six was too image-based to pull anything gross, and Ava was too fiery to let them treat her like a trophy. This would just be some time for Odin to find the room with the piano and practice for a bit.

Luckily, he managed to locate the room, but it was in a restricted area. He’d have to sneak in, and shoving the pamphlet into his pocket, he stepped towards his door –

His fingers fumbled with the handle, but it was locked.

From the outside.

He pounded his fist against the wood. “Wh-What’s the b-big idea here?!” There was a slew of uncertain mumbles, before Gev responded through the wood “We’ve been asked to keep you in your room.”

“Wh-Why?”

No response, and Odin stifled the urge to bite the inside of his mouth in frustration. Damn Six, that puppeteer, setting the stage for a perfect date. They must have suspected Odin would try to intervene.

He looked at the door-handle. If he had something long and pointed, it’d be easy to jimmy the lock open. The doors on the inside of Parliament didn’t seem to care about their power capacity, and he pulled the knife out of his boot.

This was going to be an adventure.

He carefully tilted the tip through the classic keyhole – no doubt these handles were used for aesthetic purposes – and began worming it around.

“What’s that noise?” Gev demanded from the other side.

If they unlocked the door while he was trying to break out, they’d find out what he was doing – he needed privacy, an empty hall for him to break the lock and sneak out, into the restricted area.

“D-Don’t come in!” he warned as he heard footsteps, and they halted just outside the door. “I – uh – need privacy!”

“What exactly are you doing that requires us _not_ to investigate all the noise you’re making behind that door?”

There was one answer.

One reply that would scatter the guards along with his dignity, one real sure-fire way to make them abandon their post and leave him to break the lock and flee.

He closed his eyes.

“I’m… uh…”

“We’re coming in,” he felt the door-handle rattle and he blurted without a second thought-

“ _I’m_ -!”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Gev recoiled in disgust, in horror, in _disbelief_.

“Odin, you’d better be joking in there or I will not hesitate to shoot you into a stain on the wall,” he threatened.

“No, I’m not lying, I’m… really in need of some privacy. I’m. uh. V-Very sexually fr-frustrated.”

Gev couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He knew Odin was low, but _this_ low? He wasn’t even trying to hide it! He had the master bathroom, he could at least make _use_ of it!

“Odin, you are a disgusting person and I loathe that you told me what you’re doing in there.”

There was no reply, only more of that rhythmic rattling noise, and Gev decided it wasn’t worth it. Odin was one nasty little man, and he wouldn’t listen to the walking hormone sack do his dirty deed.

Gev left his post, and began to wonder why TiTAN didn’t just obliterate this planet with all the filthy heathens that inhabited it.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin held a hand against his face.

That was the worst, most effective plan he’d ever had. On the upside, he could unlock the door and sneak around until he found the ballroom and practice piano.

But at what cost?

_At what cost?_

Now, Gev would gossip to the entire facility and everyone – every single maid, guard, worker, everyone – would think he was some uncontrollable teenage sex machine.

Now wasn’t the time, he decided. Working on the lock, he wondered what Ava and Six were up to.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Six soon got a reply from the guard he was messaging. The question was, _what was Arrow up to_?

The response was something unprofessional but vaguely haunting.

_Something nasty, Sir._

Six slipped their communicator into their pocket and led Ava towards the end of the hall. “I thought we were finishing our tour,” she commented tensely at the open doors they approached.

“With you dressed like that, I couldn’t resist the idea of getting you some open air,” they replied, hoping they sounded positive enough.

Ava worried her lower lip between her teeth.

Wooing Ava was proving to be…

 _Difficult_.

 _Perhaps a change of scenery could calm this panicked rabbit, or perhaps,_ they thought as they coaxed her into a fantastic white car _, a little bit of home could tranquilize her._

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 


	5. almost perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a new chapter? wow. incredible. I did it kids.  
> warning for... mcfreaking wildness coming from Odin, again, what a guy

Luckily, at night, the guards abandoned their posts for a midnight meal, leaving only the lazy swivel of the cameras to track Odin. He didn’t mind it so much – a camera couldn’t tackle him to the ground and handcuff him. Besides, he didn’t want to make it obvious he had broken out. He had covered his tracks with the shower running, and that might even cement the pride-killing lie he had convinced the guards.

He would never live it down.

Instead of dwelling on his humiliation, he sidled like a snake around the edges of the halls till he found what must’ve been the room Ava had mentioned before. Pushing the door open carefully, the soft sigh of the well-maintained hinges not giving away his presence, he fumbled along one of the doors for a light switch – and when he found one, he regretted flipping it. The chandelier in the middle of the room pierced his vision and spots as well as tears dotted his eyes, until he rubbed them with his thumb and readjusted to the lighting.

Sure enough, there, in the corner, was a sleek black piano. Odin neared with it with a musician’s reverence, softly running his fingers over the top covering, before pulling it back, revealing the bright keys.

He ran a finger down it, and found both to his delight and horror, the notes reverberated around the room with more ferocity than the light from the chandelier. He winced, waiting for the music to ebb into silence, and waited for the onslaught of guards to attack him.

Strangely enough, none came. With his confidence boosted, Odin pulled the seat back, and began to practice once more.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Ava sat tensely in the passenger seat of the car, trying not to pick at the loose threads of her pretty dress. Six was driving, humming, drumming their fingers along the steering wheel – what she would give to figure out what they thought they were going to accomplish by doing this. Her teeth ground a niche in her lip before she worked her jaw, trying to find any little way to relieve her tension.

The A district looked prettier at night. The sky was clear of any smog, so, she could see the stars clearly even through the tinted glass window of the car.

“Nice view?” they asked, and though Ava was aware that they were trying to make small talk, she just shrugged neutrally. She wasn’t going to make this ‘date’ easy on anyone, least of all the charming viper that suckered her into this. They hummed a little more in response to her neutral answer. “I’m taking you somewhere I think you’ll like,” they tried again, and Ava had to physically stop herself from rolling her eyes.

Yes. She liked the flowers in her room. Yes, she liked their pretty face, and how they wooed her, and yes, she most certainly liked the foreign feeling of being doted on, but if Six was given the chance, they could have anyone they wanted. If the MATCH system weren’t in place, Six would not choose Ava on their own, and that was what made this situation so deeply disturbing to her.

She eased her eyes shut, and tried to steady her breaths. She really wished, with every fiber of her being, that the match system wasn’t in place. She didn’t like being trapped, having nowhere to go – she didn’t like being manipulated, and least of all, she didn’t like being manipulated by someone who didn’t even see it as a problem.

The car slowed to a stop. Ava’s stomach lurched as tension bundled up against her shoulders, clotting her movements. She was glad that she wasn’t wearing makeup, because with how she kept rubbing at her face, she would’ve smeared it all by now, and Six was staring at her fondly again so she had to stop touching her face- “We’re here,” they stated aloud, soft as their voice would allow, and Ava nodded.

Surprisingly, Six was a bit of a traditionalist, and opened her door for her, putting a hand out and leading her out of the car like she was a nettled, spooked horse, and that wasn’t far from the truth. She didn’t like wearing heels, they made her sound like a beast of burden and pinched her toes, so she had to grip Six’s hand for balance as she shakily stepped out.

“Where are we?”

“District C.” She whipped around in surprise and Six pulled down their medical mask to reveal a smile. “I thought… maybe a little taste of home would make you feel better. I reserved a restaurant here for us to eat at… I’m not sure if you’ve been to it already.” The one that they had set up reservations for was one still too expensive for her paycheck, but by how sorted it looked, the owners and employees were alarmed to have the Strategos around their corner of the world, and tried to mimic perfection with neatness.

Ava wanted to say that it was incredibly thoughtful of them, and that she was glad to be back in her home turf, but anxiety leapt into her throat like a startled deer and her words were clumped dryly to her tongue. What if someone she knew saw her? What could she say?

Instead, she could only offer a numb nod, and take Six’s elbow when they offered it to her. They stepped inside and all eyes were on them instantly. Ava shrunk back as though she was about to be murdered, but Six cast a sharp look across the room and all gazes shrunk back worse than Ava did, and she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to feel better or not.

They were directed to what must’ve been the best seat in the house – it was on the second story, on a balcony, concealed by thick velvet curtains with a view of the back of the establishment, all plants and aesthetically pleasing statues. They both sat down at the table, and when Ava swallowed, due to the cold air, it was sharp, and she tried not to wince.

“So,” they started evenly, Six braiding their fingers together, as they always did before they wanted to speak “here we are.”

Ava didn’t reply. She wasn’t sure what she could say that wouldn’t just push them into further pursuing her – and yes, though she would accept whatever verdict the MATCH program made of her situation, though she would accept its word as final, she couldn’t help but try to defy in the small ways. She turned to the view and anxiously braided the tips of her hair.

“Are you ever going to talk to me, Ava, or do I have to wait three business days for a reply?” their voice wasn’t chastising her at all, but was instead filled with that careful tremor of a laugh she had almost grown used to in these past long days.

“I – ah – I’m not sure what to say…” she inhaled, and steeled herself. She tried to think of what Maggie would say to a date she wanted to be out of, and came up blank, so she instead continued with a deceivingly meek “This is all, er, a bit intimidating...”

“How so?”

“It’s like the parliament. This is my home, alright,” she turned and looked back towards the sky “but you seem to want to ignore what makes this my home. I’m flattered that you would go to such lengths to woo me, Six, but I’m… I’m actually a little insulted,” she realized aloud, and hearing her say it only made her bolder.

Six’s expression was neutral, and she supposed that was because they didn’t want to reveal what they were really feeling at her little foolish declaration. She knew the feeling all too well, and met their gaze with an astonishing amount of ease.

Maybe it was being so close to her apartment, or the knowledge that the chances someone she knew was working downstairs, but either way her words were cool and collected as she ended her little tirade. “I’m afraid I’m not really impressed with all of this. Sorry.” She didn’t sound sorry, and she certainly didn’t feel sorry.

They were silent. Ava felt fear begin to grow and cling under her arms like spider-webs, brushing around her eerily, and when she began to shrink back into herself, Six broke their gaze and looked off to the side.

“…is that so?”

“Yes.”

“What would you suggest we do, then?” they asked, and it was strange, because in that moment their voice was gruff with irate dismay; she had never heard them gruff before. She must’ve been having a bigger effect on them than she initially predicted.

She blinked and looked to the curtains, hoping a waiter would bail her out with some sort of cosmic blessing, to pull the curtains aside and ask for their orders – instead, no one came. She had to steady herself again, and her hands still itched from phantom wounds as she squeezed her skirt.

“I still haven’t ordered anything,” she offered lightly, and as a sign that she wasn’t entirely furious, she smiled at them. They loosened back up, their upset and coiled pose eventually settling into their more liquid grace as they nodded. “Am I finally going to see you eat?”

“Has that been on your to-do list?” They added with a sliver of a flirt “Or do you just want to see my mouth again?”

Ava was glad the lighting out on the balcony was dim, because she knew her face was going utterly red at the implications in their words. She nearly sputtered, but instead managed to just go tense and spit out “Stupid,” and they laughed.

“I thought this place would be best, Ava, not because it was highly expensive – I thought you would like the garden out back.” She couldn’t gauge if they were lying, but their hesitation at bringing this explanation into the limelight when they would previously whip out clarifications like a trick-rabbit out of a hat, she assumed it was a fib. Either way, she was a little pleased they kept her love of flora in mind.

“Really? It’s too bad, I can barely see it with the lighting,” she lamented – she could scarcely spot the bob of what might’ve been ivy leaves on one of the many statues, and Six shrugged.

“Another time, perhaps.”

She didn’t want to think about _another time_ , especially since this was so awkward _already_. They were blazing through the tension like a wrecking ball, but Ava emotional state was being swayed by each sentence, and she was stiffening up worse than when she had gotten into a fistfight with her television.

“Why did you bring me here?” she suddenly blurted. They blinked in surprise, startled by how her voice cracked a little with urgency – she didn’t want to take her words back, but she wished she hadn’t presented the topic with such candor.

As though they were smoothing out ruffled feathers, Six ran a gloved hand over the top of their head, straightening out the few stray locks sticking out rebelliously.

“I wanted to speak to you without interruption. I wanted to get to know you – and, I wanted you to have a good time,” they glanced up and their eyes locked “with _me_. I wanted to show you that I can be a _good_ match.”

Their words sunk in as Ava blinked sluggishly.

…they were anxious? They, the great general, were trying to stake a claim as someone worthwhile to be loved?

It was as surreal as it was painful, because Ava knew the feeling, and she hadn’t meant to project it onto another person. Not at all – this could’ve very well been another mind game, another slip of the subject, but at the severity of their tone and their earlier gruffness, Ava wanted to believe they meant it.

“Oh – I didn’t – I see,” she struggled with her words, trying to form them into an orderly line and failing, thoughts tripping over each other “it wasn’t my intention to give you the -  the impression, that you weren’t a good match, Six.”

“Then why are you so adamant about denying me?”

A crooked smile and the smell of smoke came to mind, and she couldn’t keep their gaze.

“Because you might not be the one for me,” she answered quietly, and they didn’t respond. They tensed, they bobbed a knee in a very human-like way, and she caught them muttering something unhappily under their breath, before they dragged their gaze back up to her.

“Pretend.”

“What?”

“Just tonight. Pretend I’m your match. Pretend we were meant to be.”

“Is that why you brought me out here?” she pressed again.

“Ava, you beautiful insufferable girl,” they finally broke, and Ava startled as their emotions poured out “ _please_. Give me this. I’ll stop heckling you, you don’t even have to come to breakfast anymore, but – please,” they dipped their head down “Give me this. Let me pretend I have someone meant me for me.”

This was the most vulnerable she had ever heard them. The absolute rawness of their emotions was like a blow to the gut, and Ava had to catch her breath, looking at their strangely small, humble form, their head dipped down and their fingers still braided on the table – they were pleading. They wanted to be loved. They didn’t want to be alone, and that was why they brought her out here tonight.

Ava wasn’t sure anything she said could help them, advice-wise – she was technically in the same boat, and – if it was just for _one_ night – for someone who might be her MATCH –

Six’s eyes snapped open when Ava’s hand came into view. She was reaching across the table, cupping a hand under their chin, and directing their face upwards to look at her – her expression wasn’t one of pity, as they had been expecting, but understanding and affection.

“Alright,” she answered softly. “I’m your match, tonight.”

They very badly wanted to kiss her, then, with the moonlight all in her vibrant red hair, with relief crashing across their shoulders, but they didn’t. Instead, Six inhaled, steadied themselves, and took her hand.

“Thank you.”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin decided he was as polished as he was going to get, and had fled back to his room with the same secrecy as he had left it – however, he had to take a detour the moment he heard voices.

_Shit. **Fuck**_ , he swore internally, a whole slew of colorful exclamations coming to mind as he backed himself into a small corner behind a pedestal with a vase on it – this would be as good a hiding spot as any while he waited for the guards to pass.

“The shower has been on for almost an _hour_.”

“You know, he might actually be washing up.”

“Do _you_ wanna go and check?”

Odin’s complexion turned dark with blood rushing hotly to his cheeks in humiliation. They were talking about him.

The guards began walking past, the click of white armor sliding into place as they leisurely continued talking, relaxed in each other’s company. They weren’t guards he recognized. Nothing spreads faster than gossip, he bemoaned internally.

“Maybe he’s showering to hide the fact that he’s smoking.”

“I really hope the girl isn’t matched with him – what’s her name? Arva? Aveline? I can’t remember.”

“Why not? He could grow up to be a pretty good guy, with her influence.”

“Kissing someone who smokes is like licking an ashtray.”

Odin began to creep away, sneaking along the wall as he kept an eye on the descending guards. As their voices grew fainter, he caught one of them saying “I bet his lungs are made of tar,” and Odin couldn’t help it. His pride had already been so fatally wounded, the words slipped out before he could stop them.

In pure exasperation and utter frustration, Odin Arrow declared aloud with his hands thrown up “Sm-Smoking isn’t th- _that_ bad!”

The guards stopped.

Odin stopped.

The guards turned.

Odin froze.

The guards focused on him and sputtered out hasty realizations that he was out of his room, and not detained, nor was he masturbating like they had been cheekily gossiping about only a moment earlier.

Odin fled like a _goddamn speed demon_.

His brother’s teasing words _run like you stole something_ came to mind, but at the moment, he was more preoccupied with trying to lose the guards on his tail rather than gain speed. They knew the territory better than himself, but he was a cheater, and kept toppling things in their path – he wasn’t sure how this would help his situation, but if he cooped himself up in his room at least they wouldn’t grapple him like he was a wild pig.

Unlike Ava, though, Odin hadn’t gone to extreme lengths to try and map out the area around him, having for the past few days bitterly resigning himself to his room in an attempt to ignore his situation. He must’ve taken a wrong turn, because he threw open the door and found not the next hall, but the kitchen.

The kitchen, where, all the guards were on break.

Dozens of eyes focused on him and all conversations died instantly as someone dropped a coffee cup, the plastic clatter the only noise.

“…sh-shit.”

Odin was suddenly swept out of sight as one of the guards he thought he lost tackled him to the side with an _oomph_ and both of their bodies went flying. Luckily, Olai had tackled him plenty of times before, as did his cattish sisters, so it took little effort to wrench the guard off and continue his terrible spree of getting lost.

What was two guards was now twenty, and what was twenty was the crackle of communicators and gossip that Odin was not only a sex fiend, but that he had also broken out of his room. _Jesus, at the rate they’re going I’ll be a legend by tomorrow_ , he thought hotly, peeved at his current situation and the shocked and dismayed looks he was getting from the employees he was passing.

It didn’t help that the code name they were using for him among the guards was no longer _Arrow_ , but in fact, _Nasty Boy_.

He was hiding along another wall as he heard it, “Nasty Boy last spotted near the employee dorms,” and he was tempted to groan before remembering his earlier impulse getting him in this situation in the first place.

Where would he go? They must’ve had guards stationed everywhere, even his room, in an attempt to catch him red-handed.

Someone grabbed his shoulder and he flung his hands up, squaring up, prepared for a fight – but he was met with Nevy’s gaze. “Follow me,” she urged, and Odin found he had little choice in the matter considering the guards were steadily trying to track down where their resident _Nasty Boy_ was hiding.

He did, in fact, hope that Ava’s date was going better than this.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“No hobbies?” Ava asked, cocking her head. “Is all you do work?”

“There’s not a lot of time for anything else,” they replied steadily – their orders had been taken, appetizers had been set out, but neither of them had eaten. Instead, Ava only took little sips of her cold water, and Six had yet to drink, only touch their cup to feel the condensation on the outside soak into their gloves, cooling their clammy hands. “I was hoping, that – maybe some of your hobbies would rub off on me.”

“You don’t seem the gardening type, and it doesn’t look like you like animals much by how you treated the bunny,” Ava thought aloud, eyes catching a circling moth near the hanging light fixture, “but – what about stories? I like books.”

“Really? What are your favorites?” their eyes glittered in content satisfaction, learning something about her, anything – Ava wanted to retreat in on herself, but their earlier emotional disaster came to mind and she once again forced herself to relax. “Perhaps – is one of them _Alice in Wonderland?”_

Her mouth split with a smile. “How’d you know?”

“You just seem like the sort of person who would like a story like that. What’s your favorite part?”

This was strange. Not because Six was actively communicating about her, but whenever she brought up a fact about herself, Six seemed to be one step ahead of her in guessing it. Maybe they really were meant to be a pair, if they were able to produce such answers and guesses with such precision – and though her mind kept actively rejecting the idea, she _did_ like the thought of someone really knowing her, and growing used to her, and it seemed Six was set in their path to do just that.

They spoke softly, and Ava was growing comfortable in their company. She wasn’t sure if she was really okay with it – the whole situation felt fabricated – but she tried to pass it off as still-clinging paranoia from staying in Parliament for too long.

When their food arrived, Six had ordered very little, but she did get to see them eat. They ate like someone who wasn’t used to actually _eating_ food, like they had only heard about it in theory, and it was endearing to see a little bit of them was awkward. Still, the food was good, and Six’s company was refreshing, and the air felt alive with their laughter.

Ava was enjoying herself. It almost scared her, and she still wished she wasn’t in a dress and painful little heels, but they honestly looked like a couple like this.

“Are you having a good time, Ava?”

“I think I am.” She smiled up at Six, and with their mask down, discovered that they were mirroring her expression.

“If I may – if it is not an intrusion, or disrespectful-” their hands were shaking slightly, and she wouldn’t have noticed if their drink hadn’t spilled on their hand a little as they were setting it down “-may I ask something of you?”

Ava blinked, before asking suspiciously “What is it?”

“Earlier – when Odin gave you a gift – in thanks,” they looked to the side, covering their mouth with their hand as they tried to gather their thoughts – they were so anxious without their mask on – “in thanks, you… kissed him.”

“I kissed his cheek,” she replied, throat going hot as she tracked where this was going.

“May I have the same courtesy?”

Ava sucked in a breath. They were asking, and – and tonight had been fun, to talk with them on even ground. She turned to her food, and found her appetite was gone again. Six wasn’t going to answer for her like they had been doing all night, so she replied gingerly, her words paper thin and twice as delicate “Only if you come over here.”

Ava wasn’t going to risk hobbling over to the them on shaky deer legs in these shoes.

The corners of Six’s mouth upturned slightly, and they eased up out of their seat, curling around the table to stand in front of her. They leaned down, and Ava pecked a kiss on their cheek, her other hand cupping their face.

They were blushing when they backed away.

“Thank you for a wonderful night, Ava,” they purred, confidence once again taking over their tone as they pulled their mask up “allow me to escort you home.”

Ava took their arm – they paid the bill – and in the car, feeling it rumble to life underneath them, exhaustion overtook her and she began to doze.

However, Six’s communicator in the car buzzed, and they clicked it on as they were driving. “What is it.” The tones of the general were back, militaristic and absolute.

An elite replied from the other end “ _We’re in code orange_.”

“What?” Ava sat up a little hearing the urgency in Six’s voice.

“ _Apparently, there’s a nasty animal around here or something, I don’t have the full details – we’ll try to keep you updated._ ”

“Thanks for the heads up,” Six grumbled, before cutting the call. Ava watched their movements with increasing worry, and when they noticed her anxiety they assured “Ah, don’t worry. I’ll go take care of things. You can just rest in my room for a couple hours until I work with the guards to comb over the area, you’ll be safe.”

Ava sat back in her seat, but with no less relaxation. She watched the passing cars, and thought of her tiny apartment, so close, and now, they were leaving again. She was tempted to leap out the window, but she had come this far – she might as well see this MATCH ordeal to the end.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“Are you sure he didn’t pass through here?”

Nevy was standing in front of one of the kitchen counters, cutting up some vegetables. “He didn’t. Maybe you should go check the gardens on the west side of the facility, I heard he goes out there a lot,” she suggested innocently, and the guard took the bait. The moment they were out the door, Nevy took a step back from the counter, and in one of the cabinets below, Odin spilled out like foam peanuts from a package.

“Th-Thanks for the cover,” he muttered, dusting himself off, working out a crick in his shoulder – Nevy gave him directions to his room, and he stopped to give her a look. “Why are y-you helping me out?”

She swallowed. “Ah… don’t worry about it. Do you want to get caught?”

Odin wanted to press the maid for details but instead decided to bail and hide back in his room – he managed to sneak inside between guards taking shifts, and he locked the door from the inside best he could with a busted lock.

That meant putting a chair under the doorknob.

He turned off the shower. His room was filled with steam, and it was entirely suffocating.

He opened a window to let the hot air out, and stopped.

What was he doing? Monkeying around the Parliament for some girl? He wasn’t supposed to cave in for a crush – but then again, now it had gone as far as a clash of ideals. District D versus District A, the ultimate cage fight. His somewhat mangled pride was riding on him being matched with Ava, to rub that in Six’s face – but there was also the underlying desire to be accepted by this world, and he sighed, knowing it was a desperate thought.

He was in a pinch.

Leaning out the window, watching the guards scrabble, Odin could spot a car pull up – Six’s car no doubt, and as much as he wanted to see Ava in that pretty dress again, he was in no position to be leaning out his window and ogling while his code name was _Nasty Boy_. He sounded like something Raven would call him at three in the morning if he didn’t wash his hands after going to the bathroom.

So, he leaned back inside and flopped over on his bed. His plan was to get Ava to the chandelier room tonight, but he was wiped from bolting around like a rat away from guards, and he might be tired too. He knew he was after only a few minutes with the Strategos, but she was cut of a different cloth. Maybe she was fine. Maybe she had fun on the date, even.

Either way, she would have to return to her room eventually, and when she did, they’d talk. He was growing stir crazy in this place, as plainly seen by his speed demon antics, and he regrettably admitted to himself that he had grown reliant on her presence.

He also missed his siblings. He had texted them a few times, but he couldn’t tell them much without risking their lives.

Damn. He really wanted a smoke, but that wouldn’t do his heaving lungs any favors at the moment, so he simply sat sprawled on his bed.

Minutes passed – he figured, with the distance between the car port and the rooms, Ava should’ve been here any minute. He continued waiting, but when the time had nearly breached half an hour his mind began to race with what she could’ve been up to.

Unless that date was _really good_ , and Six was – _with_ her –

Odin pushed the thought from his mind and instead opted to turn on the TV. The initial idea was still sticking bitterly to the back of his throat, and he tried desperately to ignore it, though as the seconds passed he only grew more upset.

It didn’t really matter. The MATCH program would decide for them in the end, anyway.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

“Just wait in here until I get this sorted out,” Six explained, and Ava nodded as they slipped out. Six’s room was mostly plain, slightly lived in – there was paperwork absolutely everywhere. She wanted to be nosy and peek around, but she also wanted to keep her head on her neck, so she decided to sit on their bed. It was a little stiff, but it was better than being on her feet.

In this moment of calm, she clipped off her shoes, letting the aches disperse. Oh, she was going to be bruised tomorrow, that was for certain.

As time passed, Ava grew fidgety. She didn’t want to be sitting here alone in silence, so she went to their bathroom to wash up, to splash cold water on her face. She even found a few files in there, and she shook her head before peeling her gloves off and turning on the sink.

It felt good, the cool water sending her nerves into momentary shock before relaxing her. A few droplets dribbled down her throat and down her elbows, and onto the files. When she noticed her eyes flung open and she yanked a nearby towel off the rack and dabbed them dry, hurrying out of the bathroom to spread the files on the bed to dry them – who knows how long they would be gone, but she didn’t want to mess anything up.

For a moment, she didn’t care about what was on the paper, as long as she could dry it. As she passed the towel over a paper, her eyes caught on something familiar, and her breathing caught in her throat.

It was her name.

The top file was _her_ file.

She shakily reached out and found portions highlighted – her likes, her dislikes – her favorite book was underlined.

It hadn’t been chemistry earlier, in which they had bonded during the date – it was pure desperation and memorization. They had been scouring her files for clues, for ideas, for hints – it was a cheat sheet. Their dire need to have someone had come to this. She wanted to find it sad, for them, that they resorted to _this_ , but instead her eyes went red.

She clutched the papers in her hands, crumpling them a little, feeling anger and betrayal claw viciously at her throat. _So stupid. You’re so stupid, to think, even for a minute, that anyone would really understand you. Six had to go study to get you to relax. It was never meant to be._

_It was never meant to be._

Ava carefully placed her papers back in her folder, and scooped all the folders up into her arms. She left her shoes in their room, opening the door, and stepping out. The hall was empty, and for that, she was happy. She would walk back to her room, and she would cry, and she would pretend everything was fine the next day, because that was what Ava Ire did.

She had been played, and she laughed a little to herself as she walked, barefoot, shaking with rage.

She was so stupid. She was so frustratingly naïve. No one could truly love her, just pile her facts on a little sheet and memorize them, confess at the right time, and she would play into it. She was so stupid.

The growing appeal of finding something to smash was creeping around the corners of her eyes, but as she approached her hallway, she found things scattered across the ground and decorations toppled like they were supposed to be an obstacle. The elite on the communicator mentioned a wild animal or something, but she couldn’t care less. In honesty, death sounded so appealing she wondered if there was something sharp she could jab into her eye before thinking of her pretty clothes.

She didn’t want to ruin the dress. So, she sighed, and weaved around the obstacles with files in her arms, and she fled to her room, leaving both her shoes in Six’s room – not as the princess fleeing the ball at midnight, but as the girl who would only be taking steps for herself from now on.

She closed her door behind her with a slam. Hearing the hinges protest helped alleviate her anger a little, and she wanted to strip out of these pretty clothes so she could do terrible things to herself without ruining them, but she simply slumped down onto her bed.

Her tiny rabbit hopped out of its kennel, placed there by a maid, and sniffed at her raw feet. She smiled doggedly and lifted it in her hands, and seeing its tiny wiggling whiskers and giant eyes, Ava anger met its match with sadness.

She dissolved, and she was upset that she was crying instead of beating something – because she was good at anger, she was destructive and unyielding, and she was so very bad at being sad. She would cry violently for a few minutes, brutally, so viciously she couldn’t breathe, before she bottled it back up. It was like she was just waiting for her mind to reach its limit and giving her emotions only a tiny bit of breathing space before shoving their heads back under the water.

Ava cried, _hard_ , until there was a knock on the door. She tried to smother her crying, but she was hiccupping into her hands – no, no no, she didn’t want to see Six, she couldn’t – she couldn’t because they were in the same boat, and they were better at it, and that hurt – when –

“A-Ava? Are you b-back?”

Relief. She had never been so happy to find solace in a stutter.

She opened the door, and there were tears in her eyes, so she didn’t see his entire reaction in perfect clarity – but she did see his broad shoulders go rigid.

“Wh-What happened? Are y-you ok?”

She shook her head. She couldn’t speak. Her throat was filled with sobs and choking noises she didn’t want to make, so she just shakily rubbed a hand over her face, smearing the tears over her cheeks. Odin came inside, and she didn’t have the strength to muster up any anger to bark at him and tell him to get out.

“Are y-you hurt?”

She shook her head again and managed to point towards her bed, where she had set the files down. Odin hesitated before reaching out and plucking the top manila folder off the bed, paging through it. Realization dawned on his features as she tried to restrain her tears and organize herself.

“Th-This is… your file. Where d-did you find this? And wh-what’s w-with all the highlights?”

“It was in S-Six’s r-ro-oom,” she hiccupped, desperately wishing her voice would stop shaking. Odin went still and glanced between her and the folder. “They didn’t act-tually wa-ant to _know_ me,” she pressed her hands against her face, digging her nails in, and the pain sobered her a little “they just wanted to be… p-proven _right_. That they’re _supposed_ to be my match… They don’t want to try for a relationship… they want it packaged and ready. They don’t care,” she ended, voice painfully brittle, and Odin’s chest hurt hearing it.

“Ava… Th-That’s… awful. I-”

“I don’t want to hear it. You’re just going to try and use this situation to get on my good side.”

Odin winced at that. In honesty, the thought crossed his mind – but him and Six had been playing tug-of-war with Ava to the point of tears, and he blamed himself for the extra tension on her shoulders.

“I w-would have y-yesterday. But I – n-not now.” She looked up to him with enflamed eyes, her hair coming loose from its pins and fantastic setup, and he swallowed hard. He didn’t want to seem like an insensitive ass, especially when she was so fragile. “L-Listen, th-this whole th-thing Six and I h-have been doing – isn’t r-right. And… y-yes, I d-do like you, but – I n-never meant for this t-to hurt you.”

What was he talking about? Just earlier, he was smugly leaning against his doorway explaining Ava’s pain and tantrum to Six with a smile on his face. The difference now was that he was seeing her at a low, and he wasn’t sure he could use this as a victory for anything.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I d-do want you to b-be my match. Because I th-think we’d get along well – but I’m n-not – I’m not going to p-pressure you about it an-anymore. I’m s-so – I’m-” he glanced over to her, his tongue feeling like clay, spotting her cripplingly wretched expression and the still healing cuts on her hands, and he managed to pull out “I’m s-sorry. I r-really am.”

Ava looked up at him, then down to her hands, and then to her rabbit eating a dying flower on the floor.

“…s’ok.”

That was all she was able to produce from her fractured voice, and Odin accepted it completely. She didn’t have to forgive him or Six for their possessive, obsessive behavior. She didn’t have to do a thing.

“D-Do you need me t-to stay?”

She wiped at her eyes again. They were beginning to grow sore. “No thank you.” She paused. “Thank you for listening to me.”

“Y-Yeah.” He stood awkwardly for a moment before moving to the door, and he bid her a soft goodnight before departing to his room. For that, she was glad. If he had stayed around any longer, she might’ve dumped her whole life story onto him, and no one needed that, least of all a man with a family to get back to.

Ava glanced to the other folders she had scooped up when she fled Six’s room. Initially, she had assumed they were all hers, but one was just half-hazard coding. She took the pins out of her hair as she pulled up the last file, and she stopped at the title drawn in marker over the top, sloppy.

There was only one word, bright red, and it made Ava’s gut twist unpleasantly looking at it.

**_PURGE._ **

What on earth did that possibly mean? The file was thick, too, and old, the corners worn down.

As Ava slid onto her bed, paging through the file curiously, trying to forget her aforementioned file sitting on a nearby shelf, she read such terrible things that she did not sleep a wink all night.

She couldn’t _possibly_.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Six stared at her shoes in their room with a terrible dread building in their gut.

They understood if she needed to go to bed. They understood if the night was too much, and she just needed sleep.

However, scanning their room, they couldn’t find her file anywhere.


	6. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! I actually really wasn't really gunning on finishing this story...? See I made this back in highschool to cope with finals and just to make something fun and silly, not something with huge relevance in my thoughts on the series and the fandom, though even with outer input I still sort of wanted to stay with the ending I had originally drafted all those years ago. 
> 
> I'll be working on a new fic soon (one that might be more consistent, maybe?) and should probably be easier to read, since there aren't literal years of hiatuses in between. 
> 
> Luckily I gave in due to people's nice comments about wanting to see an ending, so here we go! Hope you enjoy it!

By the time morning came, the unbreathing stillness of District A completely passed Ava by. The subtle chirp of the birds and the grey morning fog was unseen and unappreciated as she laid the file’s contents across her bed in an array of messy piles.

They sat in mentally marked stacks of read, unread, important, and documents that were too complicated for her to understand. The encroaching steely morning light clashed with the yellow glow of her bedside lamp, and she sat in exhaustion a moment longer before clicking it off, letting the room be drenched in shadow and undead sunrise hues.

She rubbed her throbbing temples, her eyes still burning from crying so hard the night before, thankful of how subtle the light was at the moment. Her emotional turmoil seemed like a walk in the part in park in comparison to the hellish reality TiTAN had placed into this city, so ingrained into society few ever questioned it – and those that did were put into the Purge file.

She shakily picked up another clipped file, eyes scanning over it. Choppy typewriter ink spoke of another genetic quality that was unwanted and soon be culled out, through systematic breeding.

The residents of the districts were no better than the rabbit at the end of her bed.

This was what the MATCH program was about – carefully concealed modifications, they weren’t just rumors; people in district A were ‘prettier’ because they were selected to be, born from the desires of dead madmen hoping for a city of perfection built on the bodies of the discarded. Generations of discriminatory code chose that, same with their mental acuity and other such qualities, talents that carried through heredities.

Reading about this had given her stomach cramps, and a few times she had stopped completely, distantly hoping she could ignore the information she stumbled upon – but if something like spilling a condiment on her pants in middle school still haunted her, this would plague her until she drew her final breath.

So, she continued reading, and attempted to understand what the government had set up. Initially, it was to deter genetic diseases from becoming dominant, especially in recovering from the war that ravaged the world. That was simple enough – and then it was a question of how far they could go, how much they could push the envelope – in a world recovering from ashes, what could they grow and call _normal_ without being questioned? What could become routine without fear of rejection?

Reading through the drafts, it had been worded with such vigor and innocence, it seemed as though they really believed this concept would work; that this was something that would _continue_ to work, for decades to generations, to forever, and looking in on its progress, it had.

So why had she been given _two_ matches?

She ran her hand through her hair, tugging on the scarlet locks with frustration – she could feel the answer on the tip of her tongue, before blinking. She tugged her hair forward and stared at it.

Slowly, with shaky hands, she began paging through the paperwork.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 

Odin didn’t sleep well that night. Something about Ava’s weeping settled under his ribs like thorns, causing little tremors and spikes of pain through his chest if he breathed in too deeply. Cranking the hot water knob, he took a fast shower before sitting in front of his window and popping it open for a smoke.

It didn’t help, not in the way he wanted, at least. He wasn’t as tense anymore, but now he felt lazily anxious, his heart thumping too hard causing little pounding aches behind his eyes.

The knock on his door managed to make him almost yelp and he fumbled his pipe, narrowly snatching it before it could fall down into a bush below.

Holding it to his chest with a deflating sigh, he slid it back into his pocket and tentatively creaked the door open – only to find a sleep deprived Ava Ire looking like she was about to raise hell.

“…h-hello-?”

“Come with me. Now.” She wasn’t asking, and that sort of nettled him, but he didn’t have a chance to respond before she seized hold of his wrist in an iron-lock grip and began tromping down the thickly carpeted halls.

“Wh-what the hell is th-this about???” he managed to sputter, eyebrows drawing inward and a fine sweat gathering at his brow as they passed a couple guards giving him serious case of hairy eye.

“I’m about to dismantle an empire before breakfast.”

“…b-busy schedule, what’re you d-doin’ after lunch?”

“Har _har_ ,” she gave him a strangely sharp but amused look, “You’ll thank me later.”

“A-Ava, what am I g-going to thank you for?”

“I figured out how the MATCH system is broken.”

“O-oh,” he straightened up, “a-are you gonna cl-clear things up now?”

Her gaze flashed with fire, baring teeth in something resembling a smile.

“I’m gonna clear _everything_ up.”

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 

Six was waiting in the breakfast hall, as she had assumed they would be – facing away from the window, their face seemed almost completely shadowed out, save for their ghoulishly blue eyes casting a ghostly illumination across their cheeks. They raised one brow when Ava came in brandishing some files, feeling their gut squirm like they swallowed an eel, but didn’t show it.

“…I imagine you must be furious with me,” they began, words crisp, but she only stared neutrally, mentally constructing her own conversation and retort. They cleared their throat, and began again. “If you voice your concerns, I’m sure we can get this whole affair sorted out.”

Ava beamed, and Six’s breathing faltered for a moment – it was sunlight distilled.

As quickly as it was appeared, it twisted into something much more powerful, and as she released Odin’s wrist, she seemed to glide over to the breakfast table and shove everything aside to place the files down. They didn’t pay attention for a moment, instead noticing how she hadn’t changed out of her dress, nor had she showered, because the hairspray was still stiff in her hair – but they caught the word “PURGE” scribbled onto the file and did a double take, throat tightening to a painful degree. Odin might’ve been strangling them and they wouldn’t have noticed in that breath.

“…where did you get those files, Ava Ire?”

“Your bathroom,” she cheerily replied, preparing to send a proverbial burning hail at them, like some heavenly punisher. “I guess you do a lot of reading in there – like memorizing my file, and working with geneticists on what quality to get rid of next.”

They swallowed hard, and it felt like swallowing glass their throat dried out so suddenly. “Ava, I’m not sure what you read, but I promise it’s not as serious as you think it is-”

“ _You_ ,” she pointed an accusatory finger at them, “have been working with wack-jobs upstairs to try and make the perfect society.”

“…well that is sort of the goal of any self-sustaining government, Ava.”

“Yeah,” she ran her hands through her hair, forcing a hard laugh, “but you’re doing it through _marriages_ – everyone in District A is spooky and pretty because you make them to be, you marry “pretty” and “smart” people to other pretty and smart people, and you pair up the leftovers!”

“Now,” they furrowed their brow “that isn’t exactly-”

“And when you can’t do that, when they don’t fit into a shape you want them to be, you throw them into district D and don’t match them with anyone at all! Then, then,” she laughed, not in happiness, but in realization, almost like an epiphany, “You treat the people born from the unmatched pairs like- like flaws, aberrations in your little perfect world! Like what you did with Odin’s family!”

Odin, who had been listening to this and very much wanted to stay out of it and remain a third party as witness alone, sort of stumbled in his thoughts. “W-wait, what about my f-family?”

“ _Matchless_ , you’re called a matchless kid, like your siblings, yeah?” she whirled around to look at him, eyes alight and burning. He nodded numbly, not trusting his words. She turned back to Six and he exhaled in having that tension off his shoulders, just then noticing a few maids and guards creeping in to listen in distress.

“Ava Ire,” Six slammed a hand onto the table, “You’ll find _everyone_ who’s been Matched is very happy in their marriages.”

“Yeah? Like they have any other choice, Six?” she retorted, snapping harshly enough to make them bite their tongue in wincing back. “You, you were so desperate to be matched with me, you cheated! And Odin, he wanted to start a near war with you because he wanted to be accepted by this crappy society you made you kick out people who didn’t fit!”

“That isn’t true,” they stood, the chair knocking out behind them. “Everyone, _everyone_ gets a chance at happiness if they just apply themselves. Those who aren’t willing to study and fight and work for their matches don’t deserve a lifetime of happiness.”

“Happiness isn’t cash,” she slammed her hands on the table, “You don’t have to _take_ happiness! You shouldn’t have to do this,” she pleaded, her tone took a different turn. “I know you’ve been advocating for this program for years, but- Six,” she reached out and held their hand, a sudden and tender gesture that took them off guard, “if you could just choose someone for yourself, wouldn’t you prefer that to having to make up the differences through… through studying personality profiles on paper? Through cram sessions about _people_?”

They stared as she panted a bit from ranting so much, noticing how puffy her eyes still were, scored with dark lines from lack of sleep.

“…you shouldn’t need a cheat sheet for happiness, Six.”

They stared at her a moment longer, “How did you figure this all out through the file left in my bathroom?” They gave her an appraising look, “You’re very sharp.” The words _sharp enough for a general_ went unspoken, and she groaned, slipping her hand from theirs.

“Six, I’m not here because I’m smart, or intellectually sharp, or clever, or anything like that – I’m average, Six!” she slapped a hand onto her face, “maybe even less than that.”

Odin stepped up, “A-Ava-”

“I have anger issues, and I hurt myself when I get frustrated. That’s not perfect, that’s not district A.” Both of them flinched back – Odin’s hand in his pocket thumbed at his pipe.

“…then why are you here?”

Six’s question echoed through the room, somehow filling it with an oppressive atmosphere. Ava stared at them with half-lidded eyes, a tired and worn quality to her gaze, like broken glass worn down in a river till it was smooth but hazy.

“…have you ever seen red hair like mine before?”

Six blinked, and glanced to Odin a minute before looking back to her, and shrugging, “I… no, not naturally, at least…”

“It’s my mother’s hair,” she thumbed a lock with a sad smile, “she worked here, you know – in parliament. In fact, she was one of the employees who did the dirty work for the MATCH system.”

Six’s brows shot up, “Is that so?”

“She arranged it,” she ground out “so her and my dad could get together. And I finally figured out what she did to make that happen.”

Six had already been staggered enough that they needed the chair back, but lacking it, they steadied themselves by planting their open palms on the breakfast table. “…you’re technically… a matchless child-”

“Think about that later,” she rolled her eyes, like this was irrelevant, and they could smack her for the nonchalance and deceptive wording she had used to keep this a secret. “She knew about the purge program, what they were beginning to implement, and she figured out if she removed _one gene_ from the list, she could shuffle everything enough to get her and my dad together.” She held up a fistful of her fiery red hair.

“…h-hair color?” Odin squinted, nearing her, “How is th-that… b-but its… such a sm-small detail.”

“It is,” she nodded, “but it makes a difference, every little thing does in the MATCH system. I read up on it in the file,” she smacked the manila folder “and I figured it out – when I was put into the database, it didn’t know whether to categorize red hair as a ‘wanted’ gene or an ‘unwanted’ gene. So I was paired with what would be considered the apex specimen from District A,” she gestured to Six “And the opposite, from district D.”

Odin blanched, “I- _I’m_ the opposite of an _a-apex specimen_?”

“You’re just a person in reality, but according to the system, uh,” she sweat, putting the pads of her fingers together awkwardly, “….yeah.”

“…f-fuckers.”

She turned to keep talking, but stopped. Six was holding their face in their hands, sucking in sharp breaths as they rubbed their forehead, muttering to themselves in a quiet sort of panic.

“…Six.” They shot up to look at her, pupils contracted into nearly unseen pinpricks. She gave them a sad, almost pitying look, her brows upturning and her tone achingly soft, “…you need to shut down the MATCH system.”

“No,” the answer came automatically. They reiterated a breath after, “No, a huge foundation of this society is based on MATCH. People who are too anxious to date, to meet others, they rely on this program to save them, don’t you understand? This-”

“You’re right about that.” She paused as Odin and Six both whipped their gazes to her in alarm. “I mean, I wouldn’t have met either of you on my own. I think the… the _concept_ of helping people meet their soul mate… its sweet. It’s considerate, and it’s popular, and… uhm, easily advertised.”

She drew her gaze down to her feet, “But… if anything, people should be given a choice to refuse this system.”

“But then – the protocol-”

“The MATCH system is broken, Six.” She stared at them evenly, hoping the exhilaration from her sleep deprivation could carry her a little longer through this confrontation. Even now her eyes pounded, her knees felt shaky and weak, like she was filled with fading static. “It’s broken. What are you gonna do about me? About anyone else who slipped through the cracks? Everyone is district A is blue and pale, could I fit in here?”

“…you are…” they closed their eyes, “…unique. That’s what I like about you, but that is, likely, _ultimately_ … what the system would reject about you.” Saying the words felt too heavy, too much like a confession to misdeeds – they did what they were told to do. The system worked, it always worked, until now. They didn’t know whether to hold Ava in delight that she was unfolding something that seemed so clearly dysfunctional now, and the other half wanted to duct tape her mouth shut and throw her on a deserted island for spilling all this information out at once.

They clenched their hands into fists and held them at their sides in tense silence for another moment, taking advantage of the silence to collect their thoughts. “But I cannot stop this program.”

“You have the authority!” she flung her hands out, voice almost cracking.

“I do… but I have an obligation to the people. Everyone from district A relies on Match for their marriages.”

“A-and everyone in d-district D couldn’t g-give a rats ass about M-Match,” Odin grumbled, “C-cept when it g-gets in the way.”

“Look around you – this district is beautiful.” Six turned to look out the window, “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s a gilded cage,” she murmured, holding her upper arms. “Six, no matter how pretty you paint this… it’s never going to be more than what it is.”

“What is this city, then, Ava?” They turned to glare at her disdainfully, and it was such a potent look she had to gather herself and lean on the fury deep in her gut to keep her upright.

“…its lies. All of it. This place, it’s on a rotting foundation. And unless we stop it now, we’re going to fall through.”

“And if I refuse to do so?”

“Then I’ll have to force you,” she reaffirmed, nodding her head.

They blinked owlishly at her wording. “… _force_ me?” Though she could be a ballista, they had never seen her wish harm on anyone but herself.

She held handfuls of her dress on either side of her thighs, “I already…” her voice faltered a moment, “I messaged a few of my friends. If I don’t get back to them soon, they’ll spread everything I recorded about the PURGE file, and you’ll have no choice.”

Six stared, before slowly dragging their gaze to the table.

“…what is it you want to hear from me, Ava?”

She carefully walked up to them, not sure whether touching them was the best option but standing nearby anyway, “I want you to say you’ll change this place.”

“Will you help me change it?”

“Six, I can barely help myself. You already know everything you have to in order to change this place,” she snorted. “…and once you’re done, you can find someone for yourself instead of waiting for some _apex_ _person_ to land in your lap.”

“But I… we could’ve been _something_.”

“But it wouldn’t have been something good. It would’ve worked because we would’ve _forced_ it to work – if you _had_ to choose to date me by yourself, you wouldn’t have noticed me.” She laughed, “I’m a class C community service florist. It… wouldn’t have worked out, Six.”

They glanced to Odin, “…and him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I think most of him pursuing me was out of pride, he really didn’t want to lose to the leader of the people who made him and his family live in like…really bad conditions.”

“I’m r- _right_ here,” he tapped his foot as Ava ducked her head awkwardly.

“And what a presence you bear.” The retort came without thought, and they put a hand to their face, stifling a snicker.

“L-listen here you b-barbie doll-” Odin stuck a finger out, but Ava was still seething at the edges like fire at the ends of burning paper and he backed down, setting his jaw.

She looked between them awkwardly a moment, beginning to lose steam. “…change doesn’t have to happen overnight, but – if you could choose for yourself, you never would’ve been so desperate, Six.” She turned to Odin, “and if this wasn’t a chance to throw a match in Six’s face, you wouldn’t have agreed to wooing me.”

They both looked aside, a bit in solemn though and partly bitterness.

Six spoke up next, though their throat was tight. “…I will begin… smaller changes.”

“Like?” she leaned her weight on her other foot so she could lean in close to listen.

“…I’ll remove the term ‘matchless’ from profiles,” they relented, still stiff. Odin looked unimpressed, raising a brow with folded arms.

“…th-that’s it-?”

“Baby steps,” Ava reminded, sighing and rubbing her face. “We have to start somewhere… even if its little.”

“I have a question.” Six’s voice cut through the hall, commanding attention with crisp authority.

“…yes?”

“If you _had_ to choose between me and Odin, who would you have chosen?” They braided their fingers together.

Her heart skipped a beat as they both looked to her expectantly – this was it, the culmination of their arguments and fights, it came to this. Who would she choose, if she had to pick between them.

Her eyes settled on Six, first – manipulative and charming as a serpent, with sharp eyes and a mind to match. They could be affectionate, they craved it like green growing things needed water, but they were ruthless. They didn’t understand what ‘no’ meant.

She turned to Odin, and his boyish smirk and dark eyes. He reminded her of liquid dark, fluid as the exhalation of smoke between his teeth. He felt far more personable, but he was so proud in his stubborn way, so unwilling to give.

Ava bit the inside of her cheek anxiously, “I… that is, rather…” she dipped her head, putting a hand to her cheek with a soft, almost squeaking noise. “I-I wouldn’t…say no to either of you, but, I couldn’t say yes?”

They both flopped either direction with frustrated sighs and she yelped at their dramatic reactions, “Wh-what do you want me to say??? You’ve both done charming and dumb things! And its not like it would’ve been up to me anyway, if I had to choose it’d be on the system’s basis, not mine.”

Six dragged their hands down their face, “And what would your basis of judgment be, Ava?”

“I think you need a hobby,” she pointed to Six, and then to Odin “and _you_ need to get some friends other than your siblings.”

“I d-didn’t realize t-today was ‘Ava m-makes everyone feel like a m-moron’ day,” Odin muttered, folding his arms tightly and sending her a sharp look under furrowed brows.

“They asked,” she huffed, “and besides, when Six changes the program, everyone is gonna be free to romance anyone.”

Silence took the room, the atmosphere sort of odd, almost awkward and clumsy, until Six chuckled. “…then, by your standards, I could continue to woo you.”

She put her hands up, “W-wait-”

“I c-could too, you kn-know,” Odin ground out, glaring still.

“That isn’t-”

Six straightened out their uniform idly, “Regardless of what the system thinks, I think we could still be a wonderful pair.”

“Y-you also think that outfit l-looks good when you l-look like a toothpaste tube.”

“Coming from a man smelling like cigarettes and musk, I am _so_ offended.”

She threw her hands down in tight fists, “I already _have_ a crush!”

The chorus of “WHAT” that overcame the hall was almost deafening. Six shook their head in surprise, “ _What_ \- why didn’t you ever mention this before???”

“Because no one asked!” she put her hands on her face in a fluster, “and it’s not like it mattered, because she doesn’t like me like that and- listen, I really do appreciate you two but- you’re barely friends with me, and-”

“M-Maggie,” Odin stated, realization dawning on his features. “Y-your bestie?”

She blushed deeper in shame at his guess, her ears pounding with her heartbeat, “W-well, yes… it’s hard for me to get a c-crush on someone, and see them in a _romantic_ way unless I’m… already close to them.”

Six rubbed their face as clarity broke through, “And you’re not friends, technically, with either of us.” She nodded, “That’s why you can’t pick.”

The various maids and guards began to mutter amongst themselves, and Odin ran his fingers through his hair with a heavy sigh. “…g-good grief. I g-guess we know where to st-start, then.”

Ava blinked as Odin held his hand out. “…what?”

“F-friends. Let’s h-hang out sometime w-without a mob group of gossiping servants n’ sh-shit following us.” She gave him an incredulous look, before tentatively taking his hand and shaking it.

Six rounded the table, offering their hand in kind, with their brows up.

Odin stared, “I-I’m not taking your h-hand.”

“I’m not offering it to you, shoepolish-head.”

Ava took their hand as well to at least bring the bickering to a stop, and sighed, “Fine- friends first?”

“What would be a good thing for a friend to do about now, Ava?” Six’s neon blue eyes peered down to her curiously, and to their credit, they managed not to look disappointed when she announced in reply “Let us go home? Please? And just… pretend this never happened?”

“I c-can do that.”

They scratched their forehead in thought, eyes searching the ceiling, “…very well. But Parliament is going to be staying in touch with you, both of you.”

She sighed in utter relief, “I can deal with that, and so can Odin.” He frowned at her answering for him, “M-maybe I’m not. B-but anything t-to get out of this place, I g-guess.”

“You act like you didn’t _utterly adore_ the company here.”

“…it w-was… _lacking_ ,” Odin mimicked Six’s pose, a hand drawn up to his collar with a prim expression.

“…asshole.”

“A c-compliment coming from you, m-mickey mouse.”

Ava’s expression went screwy, “I think you two actually _like_ talking like that to each other, you know.”

Neither of them replied, but Six cleared their throat and allowed them to go pack their things.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin had never been happier to be packing up. To be fair, it took a verbal scolding and promise of dismantling a major powerhouse in a corrupt government to get him there, but it wasn’t like he had been through anything worse at home.

To his dismay, he had never gotten to show Ava that he could play the piano, or watch a movie with her – but maybe he could do so once they were better friends. The concept was odd to him, but, so was this entire situation, he mused as he zipped up his dufflebag.

Ava was already waiting by a government escort vehicle when he stepped out, with Six holding her hand loosely and wishing her a safe ride home. He exchanged precious few words with Ava – mostly because the only thing he could think about doing was apologizing, and he sort of didn’t want to do that – so he waved as her car drove away.

His attention was drawn to Six. They both glared needles at each other for a long moment, the only sound the anxious shuffling of the guards nearby.

“…I d-don’t like you.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Six held out a little strip of paper, which Odin snatched up, “So don’t forget to text.”

“J-jackass,” he muttered, looking over the number and shoving it in his pocket as he popped open the door to the car. Likely Six already knew his cellphone number through the records and would use it to bug him later, but the least they could do is be up-front about their mutual harassment.

Gev raised a brow at him as he settled in the car seat. “…so. No one won?”

“N-nah, Ava g-got what she wanted.” He shrugged as the engine idled, “sh-she didn’t have to ch-choose.”

“…ah. She didn’t even attempt to claim she was one way or the other?”

“Mn.” It might’ve been a blow to his pride, but at least being cocky gave him the courage to fail at times like this. “N-not really.”

Gev swore and Odin blinked to him in veiled surprise, “Wh-what?”

“…a lot of people are going to owe someone some money for this bet,” he muttered, sounding frustrated through his visor. Odin shrugged it off and let his shoulders sink in respite as they left District A.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 

It smelled the same.

Ava stepped into her apartment and spun around, taking in the scents of her flowers and her books, her worn comforter and messy bedroom, and she flopped onto the bed with a happy sigh. It might’ve been weeks ago she had last been in this room with how tense the days were, and without having to play tug-o-war as the middle man with two strangers, she let out a sigh that had been building in her for days.

Her phone was flooding with texts, and she slipped her loafers off as she scooted up more onto her bed, unlocking the phone screen. Maggie had sent a few messages, mostly asking If she had to stage a revolution – which Ava didn’t doubt she could, the girl wanted to be a CEO when she graduated – and the others were just simple debate texts and local gossip. The most recent message caught her eye.

Maggie (3:48PM)  
Soooo were you not gonna tell me your with Six and Odin both

Maggie (3:48PM)  
You’re*

She scrambled to reply.

Me (3:49APM)  
What???? where did you hear that???

Maggie (3:51PM)  
Six posted it on their account

She had generously sent a screenshot of Six’s account, wherein Ava and Odin has been the only two added into their relationships list, with ‘it’s complicated’ as the only response.

Maggie (3:52PM)  
do you want me to kill them for you

Maggie (3:53PM)  
I have this unlimited power

Maggie (3:53PM)  
by unlimited power I mean a really big baseball bat and a shovel

Ava withheld a snicker, responding with a few emojis littered into her texts.

Me (3:59PM)  
I don’t think Six understands what a ‘friendship’ is yet… I’ll work on that ,’:3c

She chatted with Maggie back and forth until the girl appeared at her doorstep to talk instead of chat over text, and it was there Ava recalled everything that happened, practically vomiting the experiences onto her bestie. Maggie listened patiently and calmed her down from overreacting at the hard parts, and by the end of it she just whistled.

“So, I guess that explains what’s up with the new ordinance in the MATCH system, then.”

Ava perked up, “Wh-what? Did something happen?”

“Yeah, Six and their assistant announced that people could opt-out of the program starting next year… sort of like taking your name out of the raffle, I guess?” she scratched her head, “Anyway, I think I’ll opt out of it.”

“Really?” Ava rolled onto her stomach, “but you were so supportive of it.”

“After reading your texts and the creepy shit you sent me of the purge program or whatever, I decided it’s not worth it. I already know whatever babies I might have are gonna be cute as hell,” she winked and Ava felt her gut twist with a gentle blush.

“You’re probably right.”

“I know I’m right. Now, let’s get you unpacked – you’d better have stolen _so_ much expensive stuff from Parliament for me!”

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< 

It was quiet, now.

Six watched out the windows with their hands folded behind their back. For the past few days, everything was so lively – annoying ruffians plowing through the halls, Ava having her panic attacks and on the flipside, singing and wandering – Prudith’s tantrums and the fallout between them – they sighed heavily as Nevy was cleaning up their room.

“…should I apologize?”

Nevy blinked, “…well yes, you work me to the bone.”

“Not to you, to Prudith,” they sighed in exasperation.

Her gaze sparkled with mirth, “Actually, she’s celebrating.” Nevy dropped what remained of Ava’s file into the wastebin.

“Whatever for?”

She laughed, her voice twinkling and light with some unspoken joke.

“Haven’t you heard? She won a pretty big bet recently.”

“Is that so?” They sounded relieved, before turning and straightening their stance, “Regardless, we have work to do. Don’t slouch just because things are dying down.” She smiled to herself as Six whirled past her, straightening their tie and moving to sit at their desk with stacks of paperwork to do, their laptop opened to Ava’s public account with the chatbox open.

>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Maggie sat with Ava on her bed as she used eyeliner to draw on Odin’s scruffy beard onto her chin, wiggling her brow and teasing Ava as she unwound from the week’s events, her tiny bunny curiously chewing on her shirt.

>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Odin brushed Crow’s hair and was working on threading a ribbon through it, answering Olai’s questions easily and sharing a husky laugh whenever bringing up Six or the ‘nasty boy’ incident, the girls grappling him by his arms and practically demanding more details about Parliament.

>>>>>>>>>>>> 

Prudith sat with her winnings, sending a smug look to the employees.

“So, what’s this week’s bet?”

 


End file.
